245lb deadlift.....and yes bando I figured out my youtube ::)This lift is nothing compared to most of you guys but with my low back issues I am happy with it right now. Taking a note from flex's journal I have changed my heavy lifts to low reps and noticing my numbers increasing. Goal right now is to hit a 300lb dead and a 300lb squat and a 300lb bench press.........while cutting out this fat ::)

opps....I should have put this here.... instead I started a new thread. Mods can delete my thread if you want.

I have been looking to rotate in some new exercises when I bump up cals in a few weeks. Today I tried (for the first time in over 10 years) some flat bench dumbells. I had done some decline a while back but decided to see what flat felt like today.

My dumbells only go to 120 so I loaded them up.

My form was herky jerky (much like my squat I had not done in so long). I also need to remove the safeties from my rack as I was hitting into them on the way down. I started to rotate them as I lowered them to miss the stops.

Anyway....I think I will be ordering the 160lb kit now :D Dont think 120's are going to cut it when I start getting some strength back. Always fun to have a reason to order some new stuff!

Yea....it really messes up your 'groove' for the latter sets, I just removed the safeties and there was no clearance issues. That kind of stuff can really screw you up though when it throws off the balance.

Lesson learned and I wont repeat it.

On a good note, I really felt it quite well through the chest. (which is a weak point visually for me). I think I am going to put these over flat bench for a while....and see what I can do.

Yea....it really messes up your 'groove' for the latter sets, I just removed the safeties and there was no clearance issues. That kind of stuff can really screw you up though when it throws off the balance.

Lesson learned and I wont repeat it.

On a good note, I really felt it quite well through the chest. (which is a weak point visually for me). I think I am going to put these over flat bench for a while....and see what I can do.

Looked good and stable, im with flex that would have thrown me way off with hitting the rack. How do those heavy DB's feel with that twisting motion in your shoulders? I know you ahd to do it due to the rack, seems to add some excess stress to your RC but maybe thats just my stupid thought process

I could prolly squeeze out a rep or two at 1200, but I don't see much point in that...

1800-2000# working sets, lmao.

You are creeping up though FLEX, that's some seriously impressive weight you're moving man. I've gotten myself stuck in the damn leg press a couple of times and no matter when it happens, there always seems to be some woman behind me with a big a$$ grin on her face as I crawl my sorry a$$ out and unrack the weight, lmao.

Tonight's bench vids. I'm trying to only take vids of PR's and PR attempts but figured I'd get the set of 315 considering it's the last day of the month.

Yep, safeties are on the 7 hole, and I've had many, many fails in that rack. I still give you the credit for telling me to find a lower bench, I've made steady gains since doing that.

fuck i need to take muy own advice on the bench mine is a little to high for me

i keep thinking about buying the cheap flat bench they sell at rogue for flat bench only but never want to drop the money and benching has not been as important to me lately with my fuck up shoulders and all

I don't do online fights with people on bb.com - prefer using my energy to get new PR's every week.

(

Yep....no doubt. Getting clipped left me with a little too much time and energy! Bad combination with the internet.

Funny thing though. ...the fake plate thing has never been said to me.....just guys talking trash on facebbok about me. Cant imagine people really care that much....and they are busting my balls.

To be honest, although I feel my strength is good.....it is really not THAT good. Makes no sense to me. Just like IC stating today that I was on AAS prior t going on hrt. I mean I am flattered...but I dont really see my physique as that good. Srs....

I don't do online fights with people on bb.com - prefer using my energy to get new PR's every week.

This! Last thing I would worry about is douch bags on the internet talking shit! I prefer to focus my energy on the ones in real life and prove them wrong in person.....Only had one talk shit and actually came to the gym with me...no one else has had the balls to come lift with me ;D

I got a question. Does a belt make a difference for you?..... I cant seem to notice one....but then again, I am just using a cheap velcro one. It used to be a mental thing, and made me 'feel' secure, but I cant say I really notice a difference. I noticed this when I forgot to put it on before a heavy dead set (think I had 530 on there). Normally anything over 500 I would belt up.

I still cant break the habit of wanting to feel the support when I go real heavy...but I am not sure it does anything.

My 315 deads this morning......not bad for a little guy with a bad back [url]http://youtu.be/J4B3Qy2Xsdc[/url] ([url]http://youtu.be/J4B3Qy2Xsdc[/url])

Nice! Welcome to the 3 plate club!

Couple things I noticed (If I may) I would take off those shoes with the big thick heel for deads, I do my heavy sets in socks. The very first motion should be with your legs, imagine driving your heels through the floor, the rest will come naturally. You kept your back nice and straight throughout - nice work 8)

As Bando said, the pull should go through the heels. If you somehow let go of the bar, you would fall backwards when you are doing it right. If you would just stand up, you are on the balls of your feet.

As Bando said, the pull should go through the heels. If you somehow let go of the bar, you would fall backwards when you are doing it right. If you would just stand up, you are on the balls of your feet.

Nice work.....Deads can be a lot of fun.

It def feels better in socks, I have been doing my heavy squats like that as well. I get funny looks in the gym while doing them that way but who cares 8)

I have not done heavy singles in almost 5 months. (I was dieting). I figured Id see what I had in me today. I found a hole in the wall gym that is just my type. $2 gets you a workout. Lots of racks and weights....nothing fancy and chalk use is encouraged.

Anyway....first heavy deads in 5 months...565 (196lbs bw)

I think I went a little light, and could come close to my first 6 plate lift...but I will give it some time. I am still nursing a pulled hamstring a little.My leg drive is much better. Hips still rising a little...but not nearly as bad as in the past.

I owe it to Flex. His vid fired me up totally. I have been under the weather for the past 4 days. I almost skipped today....then I saw his vid and it fired me up. I think Flex would really like this place. Chalk use not only allowed....but encouraged!

I found a hole in the wall gym. Like I said, you pay $2 to workout. I going to start doing my deads there. The owner is a powerlifter as well. I can start doing some mixed grip there. (as I am not worried about dropping weights through the floor of my home). I need to ween myself off the straps. Biggest issue is my flexibility. (tight upper body). I dont want to strain a bicep. So I will be working into it.

Here are some pics of the gym. Dude invited me to join their powerlifting team. I told him I'm not quite ready yet ;)

That is an older vid. (last oct). Just wanted to show hand position and how the weight will rest on the lats at the bottom.

As for the form, (push presses and no lockouts), dont forget my shoulders are pretty screwed up too. One thing that really makes them start to hurt is putting that force on them to lockout. It rolls your shoulders back and for me, it leads to a lot of pain eventually. I like the push press because I can really target the maximal force on the eccentric with no pain at all. It really allows me to over load them good. (safely)

I'll try a closer grip next time, about 10 people so far have told me that :o :D

Exactly. I say that and wanted to reinforce that is a good idea. Note how the weight is resting at the bottom. You can actually see it is resting on my lats. This is very safe for the shoulders and also helps you generate much more power. (just like you use your lats when you bench).

Fucking kills me when you post self-deprecating shit then a pic or a vid that most of us would be ecstatic to achieve.

Come on man....YOU more then anybody know that weight is a relative thing. I was really hoping to keep my momentum up towards hitting 405 finally and keep the weight progression going. Unfortunately, it did not happen. I am sure you have lifts that you do that to you are disappointing that others would be ecstatic with as well. I want so badly to finally get 405. I have come close several times....but never quite got it.

This lift, while not "terrible", is far from my best performance. I really had made my mind up to get 7 reps.....just sucks that my body did not want to cooperate. I HATE when that happens....but I just need to move on and refocus.

I know my form has a LOT of issues. I have never really had any real training.... I just lift stuff. I know I could use a lot of improvements. Hopefully, over time, with the right guidance, I can make some changes that have a positive impact on my overall numbers.

To me ....I could care less about chasing "relative" weights. Those are always the small guys claim to fame. Weights dont scale evenly with size and a lot of guys forget that.

Although I like the idea about being strong "for my size"....in the real world....strong is strong. That is real.

I am slowly evolving into possibly making a run at powerlifting. I have been looking around at feds and the rules. I could possible compete in the tested orgs with an exemption for therapeutic TRT. If I do, I think I have a shot at setting some national records in the masters classes. (I am at those levels now) That would be really cool.....but I am itching to see what a little more will do...so a tested org may not always be an option (if you get my drift).

I need to decide what it is I really want and do it. For the first time in two years.... I am not sure which direction I want to go...

Not sure I want to "go down that path", as truthfully I am not sure I want to be much bigger. I dont want to look "unnatural"...or freaky. I just like being fit and strong.

You are a freak of nature and could easily go down the BB path or the PL path.

Much like Matt (bustasinclair) you are strong as fuck and lean as fuck.

Why not do both and really throw up a big "fuck you". SRS.

While not in your level or his; I also think I could go either way....but we all know I will never quit drinking beer and that's what it would take to do a BB comp, so maybe one day I will do a PL comp.

You are a freak of nature and could easily go down the BB path or the PL path.

Much like Matt (bustasinclair) you are strong as fuck and lean as fuck.

Why not do both and really throw up a big "fuck you". SRS.

While not in your level or his; I also think I could go either way....but we all know I will never quit drinking beer and that's what it would take to do a BB comp, so maybe one day I will do a PL comp.

Thanks man. It means a lot coming from a guy with your experience.

You would be proud. I started doing mixed grip static holds today. And been stretching my biceps real good. If I want to even say the word "powerlifter" I need to ditch the straps.

My squats are coming in well also. I think I could do a respectable 450 right now...but would like to work up as time goes on. For now, I am concentrating on proper form above all else and going as deep as I possibly can. I am not as natural of a squatter as you are. I end up much more bent over. My back is strong enough to do it....but I need to work on going through my heels.

I know my form has a LOT of issues. I have never really had any real training.... I just lift stuff. I know I could use a lot of improvements. Hopefully, over time, with the right guidance, I can make some changes that have a positive impact on my overall numbers.

If you have time to weigh your food, you have time to perfect your form.

If you have time to weigh your food, you have time to perfect your form.

Touche! I agree completely. The hard part is lifting by yourself with no coaching. I have done a bunch of reading and watched vids....but perfecting form without a watchful eye on you makes it tough. There is also something that comes from experience coaching others. Not every form is perfect for each individual. Sometimes what suits one guy may not another.

This is where I am open to listening to guys with more experience then me. Trust me.... I have the desire to improve. My only concern with form thus far was to make sure I would not get hurt. I really could stand to optimize my form now.

I would have called you out if you did not safeties that looked properly set.

reading and watching all things dave tate really helped my benching but you may be beyond that now

Yea....working out alone can take a deadly turn for sure. I like the rack I have as it is quite versatile for that. I recently modified the safeties so there was no gap in them. (cut them and rewelded them further back) As I climb in weights, I am ever more cautious of muscle tears, and connective tissue injury. They say when then happen, it is quite sudden and often without warning. Knowing I can always drop the bar is a lot of peace of mind.

I moved them 3" towards the back and re-welded the uprights. Now there is no gap between the safeties and the rack. (there was a 3" gap at the back prior)

(http://i646.photobucket.com/albums/uu187/induced_drag/2012-09-23100552_zpsd3b4ea40.jpg)It lets me do lifts like the fail below without worry. I could never attempt this alone otherwise. Hell.......I think it is nice to have anyway....as it is unlikely a spotter will actually be able to save you at heavier weights if you suffer a real injury

I was able to get 450 and 455 for two new PR’s on deadlifts and while I’m very happy about it, especially considering I didn’t use a belt or straps, I’m concerned about the rounding in my back. Video shot from the side per request. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.

Anyway, 405# Squat, 340# Bench and a 455# Deadlift give me a 1200# total. I’d really like to get over 1250# before this year is over, the closer I get to 1300#, the better!

If my form looks better than yours I'm seriously screwed because I try to copy you on deadlifts & squats! :o

I seen the hitch. Honestly, I need to get over the shock that the bar is actually coming up. I need to stop pulling and squatting in front of that mirror, it really throws me off and I try to catch a look as what's going on.

Anyway, I really appreciate the help man. I'm going to try to work on my form and maybe only go up to 415-435 for reps or something, then try for 460 when things start to look cleaner.

Your form is so nice and you can really see how well you are able to get under the weight. Nothing wasted in that movement. Thanks man! You really get me fired up to work on my squats. I just want that comfortable groove that I can see you ride in.

Hell dude.....I think if you pushed it, there is a lot more in the tank! Nice job

It is kinda hard to lift off by yourself. So as you can see my grip starts off a little wider. On the first rep, I lower it and rest it on my chest so I can bring my grip in and continue. If you had a spotter for a lift off....I would not imagine this would be an issue....but these are the little things you learn to deal with working out alone.

I am slowly becoming more comfortable doing these and the weight goes up every week now. This is only my third week doing them.

It does....but it actually feels good. Coming from a guy who has buggered up shoulders....this is VERY gentile on the joints. It really engages triceps and upper chest. I found these because I was looking for something to replace CGBP. They have been wreaking havoc on my elbow tendons and hurting my wrists. These are really a nice break.

Try them.....I am telling you. You might like them. It is one of the few movements that does not feel ANY discomfort. Easy on shoulders, wrists, tricep tendons.

It does....but it actually feels good. Coming from a guy who has buggered up shoulders....this is VERY gentile on the joints. It really engages triceps and upper chest. I found these because I was looking for something to replace CGBP. They have been wreaking havoc on my elbow tendons and hurting my wrists. These are really a nice break.

Try them.....I am telling you. You might like them. It is one of the few movements that does not feel ANY discomfort. Easy on shoulders, wrists, tricep tendons.

I tried them back when STEVE was all gung ho about them, did not care for them, but I'm not shy about changing stuff up and doing unconventional lifts.

I'm on deload this week, next week will start the 3rd cycle of your program, need to change some things up, will bump that thread

If I want to play with the 'big boys' eventually I knew I would have to drop the straps from deads. Lifting at home on the second floor of my house made them a necessity. Found my new place to do deads are working up to doing some for real now.

I know I have decent forearm strength, but wanted to be sure, so today I loaded up 6 plates to see how it felt.

Rack pulls are not something I have ever done as the top part of the lift is not my weakness. But I figured I would do it to see how it felt. Anyway.....I think I am good to ditch the straps. With 6 plates I did not feel any strain on holding it.

Looking for some good lifts now in the coming months. I think 600 will come real soon if I can get past this nagging hamstring pull I have had for a while.

If I want to play with the 'big boys' eventually I knew I would have to drop the straps from deads. Lifting at home on the second floor of my house made them a necessity. Found my new place to do deads are working up to doing some for real now.

I know I have decent forearm strength, but wanted to be sure, so today I loaded up 6 plates to see how it felt.

Rack pulls are not something I have ever done as the top part of the lift is not my weakness. But I figured I would do it to see how it felt. Anyway.....I think I am good to ditch the straps. With 6 plates I did not feel any strain on holding it.

Looking for some good lifts now in the coming months. I think 600 will come real soon if I can get past this nagging hamstring pull I have had for a while.

Yep....never done a rack dead in my life till today. Went to do normal ones and during warmups I could feel my hamstring twinging. I don't want to mess with it further so I backed off and got the most productive workout I could. I really just needed to hold the bar and see how it felt. Now I have no worries and that is a big thing for me. The bicep stretching has worked well too. No tightness at all.

After I did the heavy racks, I it 315 on and did static holds with hook grip. Last thing I want is any fear my grip will fail. Although I don't do forearm work, they are pretty strong already.

You're kicking ass ID, I love see this man. You'll be a forced to be reckoned with at your first meet man.

I don't think PL'ing is a good idea for ID. The diet, physique & discipline to compete in BB is all there. Why take that to a PL meet and compete against a bunch of strong fuckers fueled on cheese fries and beer?

You're kicking ass ID, I love see this man. You'll be a forced to be reckoned with at your first meet man.

I don't think PL'ing is a good idea for ID. The diet, physique & discipline to compete in BB is all there. Why take that to a PL meet and compete against a bunch of strong fuckers fueled on cheese fries and beer?

To each his own though.

Matt does both and ID can easily do both as well. People competing in the lower weight classes are actually pretty lean, you'd be surprised.

My older brother competed in the 148# and the 165# and while he looked good in the 165, he was crazy lean in the 148#. My own goal is do the 182# class and ID could easily do the 182 or 198 tomorrow and win damn near any local event he entered.

.I don't think PL'ing is a good idea for ID. The diet, physique & discipline to compete in BB is all there. Why take that to a PL meet and compete against a bunch of strong fuckers fueled on cheese fries and beer?

To each his own though.

It is all part of this crazy quest. It feels like the right thing for me. I really enjoy it. I enjoy the competition with myself and drive to lift more. It really is not about anyone or anything else. I just like the clarity of it all. You can either lift it or you can not. It is beautiful in its' simplicity.

Unlike bodybuilding which is all subjective. Dont get me wrong, I want to look good. But what I think looks good and what the current trend is in bodybuilding are two different things. I am not a big fan of the ultra shredded, conditioning above all else. I like the more full looking muscles of the way the guys took the stage in the 70's. Arnold today would be considered 'flat' and out of shape. To me "bodybuilding" lost it's appeal when it went this route.

So my goal is to look like an 'offseason" bodybuilder. Even if I powerlift, I will still have 'abs' so to speak. I can stay easily in the 198 class and be strong. I am currently running in the low 200's right now eating like a pig. In a week though I could be back at 192 if I needed to. It is all a function of glycogen loading.

Anyway....I will probably never be a pure bodybuilder, nor a powerlifter. I am a mix of both and they both conflict in some ways with the other. So while I will never be the best at either, I am OK with being pretty good at both....and most of all feeling good and being excited about what I do.

ID, I think you should take Getsum's advice and compete. Go to a local meet and watch. Stoke the fire. Don't waste all the hard work and replace it with woulda, shoulda, coulda.

This internet shit is all make believe. Go get it kid. Life is too short. Take it from an old man.

Thanks for the advice. That is the route I am pursuing. Already found a buddy to do deads with on Friday at the hole-in-the-wall gym. There is a deadlift competition coming up in a few months. The gym owner invited me to compete in it. Some good pullers in there. (A 198 guy pulled over 600 last year). So I will have my work cut out for me.

I think all in all just getting out and meeting some people with the same competitive interest will be great.

ID, I think you should take Getsum's advice and compete. Go to a local meet and watch. Stoke the fire. Don't waste all the hard work and replace it with woulda, shoulda, coulda.

This internet shit is all make believe. Go get it kid. Life is too short. Take it from an old man.

Thanks for the advice. That is the route I am pursuing. Already found a buddy to do deads with on Friday at the hole-in-the-wall gym. There is a deadlift competition coming up in a few months. The gym owner invited me to compete in it. Some good pullers in there. (A 198 guy pulled over 600 last year). So I will have my work cut out for me.

I think all in all just getting out and meeting some people with the same competitive interest will be great.

Good for you man!

Matt (Bustasinclair) competes in both sports and it's extremely rare to see people who have the raw strength to go along with the physique, you're on of those few man.

I have been struggling all week being sick. In bed the first three days. Last night I tried to workout and only could make it about 15 minutes and had to quit.

I also have been seeing a sports chiro trying to treat a badly pulled hip flexor that has been nagging me for 2 weeks.

I felt good today and just wanted to get out of the house and do a light workout. I figured it would be a good active recovery session. As I worked out and stretched, I felt better and better. My body just seemed to align under each lift....and I was in the goove. My plans for staying 'light' began to fall away as the plates were added. Each lift feeling very comfortable.

It went like this:

135x10135x10225x5315x8405x2495x1545x1

AND I said "screw it" and loaded up 6 plates.

585x1

I got it....and it felt really good :D I got a little excited as you can see. ;) I also sat there and held it for a while thinking of all the people that used to bust my balls saying my lifts were not real because I used straps.

OK guys here it is.....Form was a little sloppy. My hips rose too fast (which is my usual problem) The bar drifted forward....but I was not dropping it. I just muscled it all with back.

It was totally unplanned....which was the best part. I honestly was a little jelly of FLEX feeling good when I was in the dumps all week. I did not think there was any way in hell I was even going to make it in.

I appreciate the camaraderie of you guys....and it is fun to go back an fourth with Flex. I am 100% confident he will be upping the bar next. I would expect no less....and I will be the first to congratulate him......(and then go home and get fired up to lift more ;) )

Really cool things guys! It really meant a lot more to me then I would have guess to pull that. For me, it answers the question I have been asking. I now clearly know which path I want to take. I am going to focus more on the big 3 and look to compete in powerlifting. I am still going to keep bodycomposition....but focus even more on progressive movements.

I appreciate the camaraderie of you guys....and it is fun to go back an fourth with Flex. I am 100% confident he will be upping the bar next. I would expect no less....and I will be the first to congratulate him......(and then go home and get fired up to lift more ;) )

You know I will, but you're still stronger as I weigh 50lbs more than you. :o

You know I will, but you're still stronger as I weigh 50lbs more than you. :o

OK....my rant.

I am sick of smaller guys who come in and try to scale strength and weight linearly. It just does not work that way. Lots of 3x bw deadlifters in the 150's....not many weigh 250. Just not how nature works.

I can see people busting balls if a guy who weighs 275 come in boasting about a 300lb bench. But Flex, I dont give a fuk....the weights you are moving are HEAVY. FOR ANYONE. They are competitive in powerlifting....which 90% of gym guys cant even touch. Add to that your age....and you are up in the 1%.

I dont mind being the small strong guy. It is funny...because that is the role I occupied in my 20's in the gym. I always hung out with the bigger guys.....and I respected their strength.

Just tune out the static and do your thing man. If it mean anything, I would be honored to catch a workout with you and would be ears open to anything you had to say. Really man....you inspire me to do more as well. You have a drive in you that is rare.

OK....now that I am done swinging on your nutz....:D .... What is the deal with a real belt?. I only have a cheap velcro $20 one. Does it really make a difference with a good powerlifting belt?. I generally dont wear one till I go over 500. But I dont really feel it does anything for me other then make me feel good in the brain ;).

OK....now that I am done swinging on your nutz....:D .... What is the deal with a real belt?. I only have a cheap velcro $20 one. Does it really make a difference with a good powerlifting belt?. I generally dont wear one till I go over 500. But I dont really feel it does anything for me other then make me feel good in the brain ;).

I don't use a belt until I get well over 500 as well. I generally can pull 525 without a belt no problem.

I do find it helps with the heavier pulls though.

I have a 2-prong 10mm belt for deads and an INZER 10mm level belt for squats.

Man, I cant catch a break. After being sick twice (pretty bad) this week I caught a stomach bug that had kept my daughter home from school all week. It came on very fast and hard. Possibly one of the worst things I have ever experienced. Man, I thought DOMs were bad from working out, well the full body DOMs that you get from puking your brains out for a day are WAY worse!

I was not able to eat food for two days. Last night at 7pm was the first time I made it out of bed and got some soup to stay down.

Well, I did not want this to screw up my progression on my workouts, but I was not sure my body could handle it.

I tried to make up two workouts....bench and deads.

Deads were supposed to go380x3435x3495x3

Bench was255x3290x3330x3

The deads were TOUGH.... I almost threw up several times. The last set was tough...but I got it. You can see my set-up was extended. That is because I was holding back puking from bending over. (srs)

What I was happiest about was my form stayed great. Must be because I was just concentrating on lifting. My last rep was awesome...even though I was beat. Everything rose at the same time. No early hips! This is a huge deal for me.

Here is a vid of the last set 495

495 x 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEinEFKuDiw#ws)

Weird thing was after that, my bench sets were very easy. Almost too easy?.... I dont get it. Maybe my stomach was not ready to bend over just yet?....

I skipped my accessory work and wanted to just give myself more recovery. Probably did too much anyway.

I keep them for rep work. It is a better back workout with double overhand. (better lat activation). I know I can hold the weight with no issues, so for me, there is no point in risking injury(bicep tear or ripping the tendon), which I believe increases greatly when you are fatigued on multi-rep sets. (as form breaks down)

I cant see the point of using them for rep work.

Upsides:1) better workout2)much lower injury risk

DownsideSome might look at me funny.

I can handle that! I will just invite them to keep up with me on my next set:D

I will still use mixed grip for my singles though. I wont let pride get in the way of good sense. (at least what I think makes the best sense for me).

Strength coming back. End of my 5/3/1 cycle today. Last set was 185 x1+ Got 5 reps. (the 5's are inboard) I had a slight knee bend on a few. Coming at this fresh I think I would have a few more in me for sure.

This was only about one rep short of where I was prior to trying that crazy diet.

I am taking a little break from conventional deads for the next few weeks. Last week I did deficits. Today I decided to do some RDL's on a platform for that little extra stretch. (glad I listened to all those people that said when you get 'old' you need to do light weights so you dont hurt your back)

Doesn't look like you really even took advantage of the platform, plates barely moved past it.

Strong lift though.

Very true. I did go more on my earlier sets. This last set was a whim. I was not going to try to 'show off' with this much weight and lower to the point where your back is forced to round.

I never figured out the danger of going this heavy on the platform till I was almost too tired to rack. You have NO CHOICE but to rack. If you drop it, the bar is going to cut your feet off as the plates wont touch! I never even thought of that. Might not be going that heavy on the platform again ;)

Nice lifting flex. I was going to play. Set up camera for a set of 315 bench at home. Only got 7 :( Not posting that.

Cutting sucks! But I am under 200 now. I am gonna keep going and don't give a shit anymore.

1) STFU @ 315 x 7 sucks. I'd be happy to press it once.

2) You're cutting? I thought you were powerlifting now???? WTF?

I have decided to cycle my training. I was getting too beat up from going heavy all the time. Lots of aches and pains adding up.

Injuries include:Hip flexor still messed upRight becip tendon been chronically sore (really hurts most on the eccentric of heavy benching)Shoulders starting to bark at me.Wrist and forearm pain almost becoming chronic.

It has been suggested that I switch to "Westside" type training. I am looking into it, but for now, I am just going 'instinctual'. Since I knew I would not be setting any new strength PR's I have decided to drop some weight.

I had got to the point where I was a little uncomfortable but it was addictive, as the more I ate the stronger my lifts got. I was eating like crazy and enjoying it. But I was not happy with the way I looked. Sure, I looked a lot bigger. I will actually say I looked big and thick. But getting to the point where I had to adjust my Inzer belt a notch, made me realize my waist was growing too. When I get just the least bit heavy, I snore like crazy too. I was not sleeping well and my wife was reminding me on how I was keeping her up at night.

I dont think I will ever be just one thing (powerlifter/bodybuilder). I want to enjoy what ever I do. Had I not hurt my back, I probably would have pushed it a little further as I wanted a 420 bench. (which I think I had.)

So I am just rolling with the punches now in my training. I am no longer life or death about anything. Since my body does not want to lift heavy right now, I will do something long over due. Really cutting to the point were I can attach that stubborn torso fat. I am the leanest I have ever been right now and I am just going to keep going. I think in the end, it will suit me overall.

Here's a few of my better sets of deadlifts. I'm pulling mostly singles now since I'm still struggling with my setup and technique. I also figure the most important rep in a power meet is the first one. haha

You might want to look at your form if your shoulders bother you. You have no elbow tuck at all. You bench with very wide elbows (a bad thing for your shoulders)

Look at some vids on proper bench form, it might help you not only move more weight, but in less pain.

I do regualr flat bench with a pretty narrow grip and keep my elbows tucked but on inclines I do the same thing as Deerslayer, not saying it's right or wrong but for some reason for myself it feels better. #175 and lower I bring the weight so it almost touches my chest. But on anything heavier I get to chin level and that's it.

One question why do you bench so many reps? why not bump the weight up?

My back feels good. Not even the slightest strain at all. I cant tell you how good that feels.

Why so many reps?....because I can of course :D

Na....just playing around. Easing back into lifting heavy. 225 for reps is a good way for me to gauge if my strength has come back without stressing myself much. I am in no hurry to repeat the mistakes of my past.

I am just easing back into things......perfect time for some circus tricks that have little to no real value....like 225 for reps ;)

I was only bustin your balls but I personally don't train like that and don't see the point.

Any time I see Branch Wareen training vids he is going super fast with less than full ROM.

I am the opposite; slow and controlled, 100% ROM.

Diff'rent strokes and all that.

Gotcha. I dont either. Just something fun to do every once in a while. I like finally getting DOMS for once! (I dont normally get sore anymore). To me it is just a novelty....and very little if any training value. Purely just ego driven :D

"What do you have to say to the individuals who have intentionally misinterpreted or MISCOMMUNICATED your message, and to those who have blatantly lied, cheated, or stolen directly from you?"

Fuck 'em

Can't stop me think I'm messing aroundYou think I'm messin aroundWell are you messin around with meTruth is I've seen the ups and the downsAnd through the losses and the foundsWell I'm right where I wanna be

Stop thinking everybody's shakinYou never get a break you're never gonna goStop thinking everybody's shakinI never gotta break but

I surviveYou can try but you can't deny meI surviveLike a lie that just won't dieI survive

Fuck you ya think I'm messin aroundYou think I'm messin aroundWell I ain't messin around you seeBack off you'll find your ass on the groundAnd when I roll through your townWell I'll be layin you down to sleep

Stop thinking everybody's shakinYou never get a break you're never gonna goStop thinking everybody's shakinI never gotta break but

I surviveYou can try but you can't deny meI surviveLike a lie that just won't dieI survive

I don't think they are full rom either but wtf that is a good weight with a lot of reps so who gives a fuck what they say

Yea....it was just almost funny. Doing x weight for reps is all about bar speed. There is no way in hell I am going to slam every rep at the top to lockout elbows. Not very smart on the joints.

Exactly as you stated. I was just playing around. Guess they felt I needed to be called out. But surprisingly their vids are no where to be seen.

Was thinking I would hear some crap from the rows more then the bench. They are not the cleanest rows ever. Some think the only type of row that is acceptable is a Pendalay.

Yeah i think you give some of the internet peoples to much credit or lend credibility to their stupidity.

why take the time to grab those screen shots - i would have simply ignored or asked to see their vid.

you have nothing to prove to them so why even try - it just lowers you to their level and that is what they want - fuk'em

T

You are right. Been a while since I was trolled....I need to remember :)

Although the recent one I got was funny. Troll pretending to be young girl who wanted to 'make contact' with me. Googled one of her pics and they are all over the web. Wonder how many guys she has gotten with that one!

"What do you have to say to the individuals who have intentionally misinterpreted or MISCOMMUNICATED your message, and to those who have blatantly lied, cheated, or stolen directly from you?"

Fuck 'em

Can't stop me think I'm messing aroundYou think I'm messin aroundWell are you messin around with meTruth is I've seen the ups and the downsAnd through the losses and the foundsWell I'm right where I wanna be

Stop thinking everybody's shakinYou never get a break you're never gonna goStop thinking everybody's shakinI never gotta break but

I surviveYou can try but you can't deny meI surviveLike a lie that just won't dieI survive

Fuck you ya think I'm messin aroundYou think I'm messin aroundWell I ain't messin around you seeBack off you'll find your ass on the groundAnd when I roll through your townWell I'll be layin you down to sleep

Stop thinking everybody's shakinYou never get a break you're never gonna goStop thinking everybody's shakinI never gotta break but

I surviveYou can try but you can't deny meI surviveLike a lie that just won't dieI survive

I set up too close to the rack and ended up banging it several times on the set. Man....that takes a lot out of you. I was hoping for 4..... But at least I know I did not lose too much strength on my deficit.

Felt good tonight! Riding a mini high. Feels so good to lift and feel good. Watching you bang out all those PR's recently really fired me up a little. To me it is just deciding to do it. My form has gotten much better, so I am hoping I can bring it up some more.

Guys at my gym are trying to talk me into doing a local bench meet on the 7th. One other 220 lifter benching in the 425 range will be in it. (no way I am cutting to 198 now so I will be stuck in 220). Not sure if I am going to do it.

Flex, I am amazed at your flexibility. You just keep dropping into the hole deeper and deeper. I cant for the life of me even come close to going that low. I really need to work on being more flexible.

Flex, I am amazed at your flexibility. You just keep dropping into the hole deeper and deeper. I cant for the life of me even come close to going that low. I really need to work on being more flexible.

I start every squat session by holding onto the uprights and squatting right down and just holding that position for a minute or so.

Here's one where I try to show that I have some muscles. :D It was about 40 degrees in my walkout basement gym so I eventually had to throw on a sweatshirt. Ok, actually, my wife came home and said you're gonna hurt your self if you don't put something on. I think she was just hating. :D

I'll share something I dont like admitting. Racking up a few injuries late in the year last year, really made me consider whether my desire and drive to lift heavier and heavier was really worth it. I was walking around with all kinds of aches and pains. I realized it was truly taking away from my quality of life. Sure being able to lift what few others can is cool, but at what cost?

Now that I am pretty much back to 100% with almost no aches and pains, I was (and still am a little) scared to get hurt again. This is why it felt so good to just be able to lift decent weight and not feel even a twitch of pain. To be honest I was scared when I put on 5 plates to lift it. It has been 4+ months since I have lifted that much. But sure enough, it was really easy. And even better, my form felt TOTALLY dialed in. Like I was on rails. My back felt so good, I am pretty sure I could have SLDL it!

So now that I am back 100%, I just have to decide how to go forward. I am unsure of powerlifting comps as my competitive side tends to push myself past the point of normal and into the range of injury. My desire to lift, will out pull my ability.

I do want to do at least one full power meet. Hoping it will be the august one with you guys, but I have to keep my eye on the bigger picture. I just want to feel good and not injure myself. I also need to lower my expectations. I was planning on 1550-1570 @ 198 for my first comp. But I just need to chill out a little and have fun with it. If I do compete, I dont think I will drop to 198's. My lifts are still more then competitive in the 220's, but for what it takes me to drop to 198, I think I expose myself to more injury. When I get lean, my aches and pains go through the roof.

I need to just be a little more laid back and have fun....It is just difficult as I am very competitive with myself and any lift less then I have ever done is hard to look at as anything but a failure. (if I keep this attitude though.....aging will be pretty tough ;) )

Screwing around in the gym today. I dont normally do machines but I changed it up for a bit.

Just for the hell of it in my last set, I put the whole stack on. (again, not something I normally do on machines as I go higher reps). The stack is 300lbs and it is an accurate 300 as I balance perfectly with 200 on there. I had to leg curl myself down into the machine ;)

Feels good not to have nagging injuries as my bicep tendon would have prevented me pulling this hard before.

same here, nice bar path, knees tracking, arch good. If you're in it to build legs, then I would keep a consistent (slower) speed, if in it to get better numbers then speed is in line with how I squat.

same here, nice bar path, knees tracking, arch good. If you're in it to build legs, then I would keep a consistent (slower) speed, if in it to get better numbers then speed is in line with how I squat.

thanks Bando,I'm in it for general overall building so I will try and slow it down

what's with the speed deal anyway ?didn't realise there were changes for different outcomes

them dudes shoulda been cheering when you got stuck, nice attempt though

Na....truth is, I would not have even heard it. When I am at that point in the lift, I dont even have any idea of anything around me. I did not even know anyone was watching.

All in all, I take it as a positive. I felt good and came off the ground nice and tight. I just lost momentum. That is a change for me because normally off the ground is my weak area. I think squats have improved my response off the ground, and my back is strong enough to stand up to the tendency of my hips rising.

I just need to put in some work. I think I will bring deads back in every week now. What sucks is I will be missing the meet I won last year. My daughter has a dance competition out of town that weekend, so I cant defend my win last year. Would have loved to walk in and beat my lifts from last year.

This was from today's deadlift workout. Not as much as many of you guys, but I'm working on it. I've been using straps since catching myself trying to curl the bar with my underhand a few weeks ago when my grip was failing. My grip sucks so I use overhand and the straps for my max sets and if the bar starts to roll out of my hands before I've gotten my needed reps on higher rep sets. Hopefully, this new routine with it's higher rep ranges will help my grip. My forearms are pumped by the end of the 11 sets.

Any tips on form appreciated.http://youtu.be/4O9ROiwcWiQ (http://youtu.be/4O9ROiwcWiQ)

Couldn't really tell how form looked at the lockout, but starting form looked good.

Next time, set the camera up in a different location, so you can see more than just the plates on the bar.

Was that ID doing triceps in the background?

LOL... sure looks like his workout attire doesn't it.

The crossfit/cardio-hamster areas really cramped up the free weight area at the gym. My phone is actually leaning against a leg press machine. There is no room between racks so you have to wait until the guy next to you is done his 1/4 squats before you can even change your weights. This is a Gold's Gym. Remember when they used to be hardcore? Not now. :( I might try using a gopro next week with a wider angle so more can be seen.

Today was end of week 4 and end of endurance phase! Hell yea! Boy this was tough and I can see why a lot of guys dont finish this. Even I was taking myself through every set in the latter portion. My body was telling me to quit. It was playing games with me and the weak part of my brain said "you dont have to do the last few sets", or "you can rest a little more". I just did not listen and did not give my body the choice.

I will be honest, that this workout has pushed me closer to quitting on a set or two then I have EVER come before. This is grueling. No one can be a robot, and I think a good training partner to yell at you might help. I am doing this on my own, and human nature, even for someone with drive, tells you to pull back when it gets this tough. I feel a sense of accomplishment knowing I completed the workout as written.

My first set was 585x2 and it was sooooo easy. Wow...it was nice. I felt like I could have done 2 more (which would have been a PR) but I stuck with the programming and stopped at two. (I did take a nice pause at the top of rep 2 just to feel the bar bounce a little )

Nice work, but I've never done SLDLs from the floor. I always did them on a box or platform and lower the bar to my shoelaces.

My hamstring flexibility suks. I could never make my shoes without breaking the knee a little. My main thing I am doing with all the accessory work is to do it as if it were part of a deadlift. Even when I am doing shrugs on the program, I do them like a deadlift.

I am going for as much carryover as I can and am hoping to improve my weak areas. This is actually kind of fun. Dissecting the lift into many little lifts. I can feel it is working for sure. But I will know definitely in 3 more weeks. My workout calls for 620x2. THAT will be a pretty big day since that is where my max was the day I started the program. If I can do that, higher numbers do not scare me at all.

So last October I tweaked my shoulder pretty good and have been nursing it back to health slowly. The last couple weeks I've been able to push it more and more with little to no pain. Been testing it with various things including catch and release work on the bar. Here's one from yesterday. A little below par for me height wise but the regrab didn't hurt and that's a win.

So last October I tweaked my shoulder pretty good and have been nursing it back to health slowly. The last couple weeks I've been able to push it more and more with little to no pain. Been testing it with various things including catch and release work on the bar. Here's one from yesterday. A little below par for me height wise but the regrab didn't hurt and that's a win.

Got a little cocky today during my deadlift routine. I posted a set of me doing SLDL with 405 and said if I were fresh (not after all my other dead sets) I could probably do 495. Well I went for it today even though I already did my normal deads AND speed deads I loaded the bar with 495 for SLDL.

I compromised a little. (just a slight bend in the knee) But the feeling of confidence that this program has given me in my lower back is incredible. (your lower back gets hammered every workout).

Monster lunges there and just on the walkabout also. Blown mind with the strength.

Half that weight would buckle me up on the floor.

Quite literally! Last year around this time I played around with some unilateral movements that included lunges. Worked my way up to 115#, but that was already brutal. 275#? !? That's incomprehensible. Must have quads of steel.

ok, thought I'd take a vid and share, been working my own 5x5 program on Chest. I train chest twice a week, flat Monday and incline Thursday. Today was 315x5x5, next Monday will be 320 x5x5. Will be hitting 280x5x5 on incline Thursday.Below is the second set of my 5x5, don't know what was going on with all the plates on the bench rack, they all decided to jump off, that's what all the noise it. http://youtu.be/vWNPDdYfuDA (http://youtu.be/vWNPDdYfuDA)

ok, thought I'd take a vid and share, been working my own 5x5 program on Chest. I train chest twice a week, flat Monday and incline Thursday. Today was 315x5x5, next Monday will be 320 x5x5. Will be hitting 280x5x5 on incline Thursday.Below is the second set of my 5x5, don't know what was going on with all the plates on the bench rack, they all decided to jump off, that's what all the noise it. [url]http://youtu.be/vWNPDdYfuDA[/url] ([url]http://youtu.be/vWNPDdYfuDA[/url])

Great video and also stolen for leg drive fixes. Nice pause as well. Solid.

Thanks Guys, I appreciate the compliments. DNG- glad to hear you found it useful. I have a video from the side I'll try to pose so you can see the leg drive working better, It's a little tough bc my clothes are loose, looks like my ass rises in this video, but it's flat against the bench the whole time, the side vid shows this better.

Here's a quick vid of today's shoulder press, weight PR for me...never even attempted this weight and got a few reps out of it, so I was happy...you can see me starting to go off on my spotter at the end of it.110lb db'shttp://youtu.be/RVlAbxLI7gU (http://youtu.be/RVlAbxLI7gU)

Not what I wanted but not terrible. Sick and not 100% today. Supposed to pull a 620 double. Got it for 1.5. At least I know my max has increased. Lifetime PB is 620 so I am confident I will smash the hell out of that now. Just have to walk in the gym on the right day.

Thanks guys. In total mind fuk right now.... unsure of direction to take at this point with my having to drop out of the comp. Probably does not help that I am still trying to shake this cold. (achy all over).

Not sure if I am going to go on heavy of dial back a little. Part of me wants to pull some heavy shit, the other part might just save it as motivation to get my ass in gear and make the one everyone is doing in Aug. Depending on how I feel this week will tell me....otherwise it is back to cut mode.

Thanks guys. In total mind fuk right now.... unsure of direction to take at this point with my having to drop out of the comp. Probably does not help that I am still trying to shake this cold. (achy all over).

Cmoore- nice lift, wasn't all that bad, at least you didn't hitch. Hey, did a weight explode off the end of the bar at the start of the lift. As soon as the bar moved it looks like a weight fly's off the right side.

Thanks Flex! That's definitely the plan. Actually, the plan is to get a little over 135... since that is the current world record in my division ;) I'll also be gunning for the 215 NY state squat record. I now hold the NY state deadlift record at 275, lol... but I'm aiming to bump that puppy up to 300+ before someone else does.

Saturday's Zombie escape drill (done after deads, lunges, and squats so that bar looked awfully high/far away). 10 singles like this but really only cared about the jump part, the MUs were just to look less moronic to the peanut gallery behind me.

I should have had my guy run the video longer, as it was comical trying to get in and out of the press with my knees wrapped that tight.

In all honesty, that is the tightest I have ever wrapped my knees. I managed to get another full loop out of those. Usually, I get 8 loops, this one was 9, as I pulled hard each loop. So, now I have a new way to wrap. However, the back of my knees are ripped up.

The only thing I don't like about the Grippers, is that they have to be stretched a long ways to pull tight. I'm leaning more towards getting a wrap that doesn't stretch as much, and is stiffer. I squat with a wider stance, and a stiffer wrap would benefit my style much more.

IMHO he wraps too far up his thigh. I only wrap one full width below the knee and one full width above.

Not according to this guy.

Knee Wraps.wmv (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fAKGFX0gQY#)

I used to just go up and down until I ran out of wrap going just above and just below the knee cap. I wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference until my weights get higher though. I have been going mid-thigh like DA and the above video.

I go far enough up my quad to pin all those tendons down, and support the muscle belly. Everyone wraps slightly different, and watching other heavy squatters, I take this approach as it works best for me.

In NY, I'll wrap your knees and you'll be able to judge the feel of it yourself.

As for the gym in the video, that's the other half of my gym. Machines, cables, cardio, treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals.

Counting? I'm usually half wore out by the time I get done. I need to practice to get my time down. I can definitely see the reason behind wrapping up the thigh. I registered Raw Modern for NY so I'll be doing a lot more wrapped squats.

When I used them when I was younger I always did a big 'X' over the knee cap then wrapped up until the end usually ending up just above the knee cap. When I did that my squats weights skyrocketed. Those were older an design and much looser from what I remember though. I used double-gold wraps back then and I learned the trick from one of the powerlifters in the gym. He didn't tell me, but I spied on him so I wouldn't look like a dork when I used mine.

The worst thing is when you have one knee done, and are halfway done the second only lose grip on the roll and have it roll across the gym floor. Damn I hate when that happens.

I'll wear gloves every once in a while though if my grip feels off. Like today:

Messin around on the wall beam at the gym

Your threads are all about self promotion!

(j/k....my little rant from Timberwolfs thread on bb.com)

As cool as that is, when I was in the field a lot more, I would watch steel workers do that all day long, with 30-40lbs of tools strapped to them. Wirey guys, no fear of heights scampering all over while new beams were swung overhead. Man, I can walk a 8" top chord piece of steel pretty easy, but put it 30' in the air (or more) and my courage goes right out the window!

That's because if I filmed other people, somebody's bound to call the cops. :o

Especially at the playground. :eek:

^^^This.

ID you've given me a new project. Work on my climbs. Find a lamp/pole/etc that necks down at the top...Climb it and flag. Gonna work on the climbs so I'm really comfortable then start working on Flag transitions and holds from the climb position.

That's because if I filmed other people, somebody's bound to call the cops. :o

Especially at the playground. :eek:

^^^This.

ID you've given me a new project. Work on my climbs. Find a lamp/pole/etc that necks down at the top...Climb it and flag. Gonna work on the climbs so I'm really comfortable then start working on Flag transitions and holds from the climb position.

That's because if I filmed other people, somebody's bound to call the cops. :o

Especially at the playground. :eek:

^^^This.

ID you've given me a new project. Work on my climbs. Find a lamp/pole/etc that necks down at the top...Climb it and flag. Gonna work on the climbs so I'm really comfortable then start working on Flag transitions and holds from the climb position.

Nice....fancy gyms and chains guys! :) Wish I had some cool toys to play with!

Man.....I am a fukin pussy!!! I have been taking it waaay too easy on myself. Funny how you can lull yourself into thinking you are weak.

I have not benched over 225 since my failed 440 attempt at my meet in early dec. (5 months!) It had gotten to where 225 actually felt heavy and I was beginning to believe I had lost a lot of strength.

Well.....today was a shake up day. I need to kick myself in the ass. I went in and started out my normal. At 225, 10 reps felt fairly heavy. I said screw it and let me put on 315 and see what it feels like.

The first one felt heavy in my hands....then I realized how 'light' it was. I had no problems with 10 reps (420 estimated 1rm). I even stopped and paused on the last rep. Heck, I probably had a few more in me.

I am a pussy.....5 months without even getting past what should be my warm-up weight!.

not a vid, just a quick pic of today's DL, first time wearing a belt, a few weeks into sumo stance. Pulled 505lbs, beat my PR by 5lbs, and the pull was much better than my 500lb conventional pull.(http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w433/Brad32825/bodybuilding/f978c4bc-2ab9-4a20-8038-b0a386d7ac30.png) (http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/Brad32825/media/bodybuilding/f978c4bc-2ab9-4a20-8038-b0a386d7ac30.png.html)

That is some funny shit! I like that and could use a kick in the ass at times. Going to talk to my wife and look at our schedules. If I can swing it, I am going to go for it.

Again, if it turns into a 2 day event, it will get tough. It is a 13hr trip for me.....but I have done crazier things. I know that my performance will be impacted negatively from the trip. It takes me a day or two to even recover from the drive back to 'normal'. It also puts me in a tough spot as it brings me about 2 hrs from my Moms. She is always bugging me to visit...etc.

Nice man.. I have always thought about playing with sumo, but since screwing up my hip, I dont think I will ever do it. Love to see a vid next time!

Thanks ID, I'll post up a vid next week. I'm really liking the sumo stance, but understand why you don't do it. I definitely feel more leg drive powering the weight and hip activation at the top feels quite different with the hips open.

not a vid, just a quick pic of today's DL, first time wearing a belt, a few weeks into sumo stance. Pulled 505lbs, beat my PR by 5lbs, and the pull was much better than my 500lb conventional pull.([url]http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w433/Brad32825/bodybuilding/f978c4bc-2ab9-4a20-8038-b0a386d7ac30.png[/url]) ([url]http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/Brad32825/media/bodybuilding/f978c4bc-2ab9-4a20-8038-b0a386d7ac30.png.html[/url])

That is some funny shit! I like that and could use a kick in the ass at times. Going to talk to my wife and look at our schedules. If I can swing it, I am going to go for it.

Again, if it turns into a 2 day event, it will get tough. It is a 13hr trip for me.....but I have done crazier things. I know that my performance will be impacted negatively from the trip. It takes me a day or two to even recover from the drive back to 'normal'. It also puts me in a tough spot as it brings me about 2 hrs from my Moms. She is always bugging me to visit...etc.

I didn't realize you were that far out. I assumed most of you guys are from the north east. They say it is filling up fast and there will be a cutoff. I doubt you'd be able to get in at the last minute.

I'm a little worried about the commute affecting my performance too. My last comp was like a drive to work. I'll be leaving here as early as I can so I'll have more time to rest and relax Friday night before the meet.

not a vid, just a quick pic of today's DL, first time wearing a belt, a few weeks into sumo stance. Pulled 505lbs, beat my PR by 5lbs, and the pull was much better than my 500lb conventional pull.([url]http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w433/Brad32825/bodybuilding/f978c4bc-2ab9-4a20-8038-b0a386d7ac30.png[/url]) ([url]http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/Brad32825/media/bodybuilding/f978c4bc-2ab9-4a20-8038-b0a386d7ac30.png.html[/url])

Nice....fancy gyms and chains guys! :) Wish I had some cool toys to play with!

Man.....I am a fukin pussy!!! I have been taking it waaay too easy on myself. Funny how you can lull yourself into thinking you are weak.

I have not benched over 225 since my failed 440 attempt at my meet in early dec. (5 months!) It had gotten to where 225 actually felt heavy and I was beginning to believe I had lost a lot of strength.

Well.....today was a shake up day. I need to kick myself in the ass. I went in and started out my normal. At 225, 10 reps felt fairly heavy. I said screw it and let me put on 315 and see what it feels like.

The first one felt heavy in my hands....then I realized how 'light' it was. I had no problems with 10 reps (420 estimated 1rm). I even stopped and paused on the last rep. Heck, I probably had a few more in me.

I am a pussy.....5 months without even getting past what should be my warm-up weight!.

The voices in your head are not very nice. No matter what they tell you, I think you're doing just fine.

not a vid, just a quick pic of today's DL, first time wearing a belt, a few weeks into sumo stance. Pulled 505lbs, beat my PR by 5lbs, and the pull was much better than my 500lb conventional pull.([url]http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w433/Brad32825/bodybuilding/f978c4bc-2ab9-4a20-8038-b0a386d7ac30.png[/url]) ([url]http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/Brad32825/media/bodybuilding/f978c4bc-2ab9-4a20-8038-b0a386d7ac30.png.html[/url])

Nice!

______From today:

Rev Lunge L 365x1*Rev Lunge R 365x1**vid: Pretty wobbly and not my best form. It's the heaviest I've run at in a while though. 405 by August.http://youtu.be/a525c_-WpyQ (http://youtu.be/a525c_-WpyQ)

You need a new belt. I used to have one of those, and the velcro started letting go mid lift.

If you watch your head, you start looking slightly down, and look up just as you start the movement. Head up and locked in place before you start. It also looks like your knees are locked as well. Locking your knees shows that the weight is on your skeleton instead of your muscles.

So, at the start of the lift, you destabilize your core with the head movement, and you destabilize it further with going from an unloaded position to loaded.

At the bottom, drive your hips in and "Spread the Floor" with your feet. This will help driving out of the hole, and decreasing the chance of turning your Squat into a Good Morning.

You need a new belt. I used to have one of those, and the velcro started letting go mid lift.

If you watch your head, you start looking slightly down, and look up just as you start the movement. Head up and locked in place before you start. It also looks like your knees are locked as well. Locking your knees shows that the weight is on your skeleton instead of your muscles.

So, at the start of the lift, you destabilize your core with the head movement, and you destabilize it further with going from an unloaded position to loaded.

At the bottom, drive your hips in and "Spread the Floor" with your feet. This will help driving out of the hole, and decreasing the chance of turning your Squat into a Good Morning.

Oh, and kneel to the side of the Camera.

I was wondering about the belt. I was thinking about getting one from lifting large, especially with the sale.

What do you mean when you say "knees are locked"? Like as in locked at top position. I see that. It seems like I come up too hard at the top and throw them back.

I'm gonna work on both. I move my head because it feels like I'm looking too high up and straining my neck.

And I'll try not to kneel in front of the phone while videoing. :panic:

Too much of a PITA to take my shoes off and put them back on mid-workout. And too time consuming; I lose my steam.

I am always struggling to feel comfortable squatting. The first rep is just about as deep as I can go. A lot has to do with that I am standing with only about 8" between my heels. My hip issues make me have to stand so close. If you look at my knees, they end up WAY out over my toes doing this. None of this is any good for generating power.

I am VERY hip/glute dominant yet I cant take any advantage of the power I can produce from there. I think I will just have to be happy having a mediocre squat, but it pisses me off sometimes knowing I should be doing more.

I am not really sure if I can go about it any other way........frustrating.

The good news is my back feels so solid after that dead routine that I feel great down in the hole. My confidence is 100% and you can see that I accelerate right out of there, even with a small pause.

Here's mine from this afternoon's squat session. This one is a long video, but it is a funny one too. You can see how much I suck at wrapping my knees. Hilarity ensues around the 4:00 mark. I worked up to my final competition weight even though my legs were gassed from my 1+ set at 290.

Ron- LMFAO!!! that's some funny shit right there!!! great vid!! Great job on the squats too! I never realized how low, low bar is. I think I did it once by accident bc the bar slide down my back while making an adjustment.

Ron, I'm sitting here at work, laughing maniacally, and coworkers are getting worried. That was some seriously funny editing.

ON top of that, you buried your squat. Way deep, and you're certainly getting stronger.

Now, in August, I'm going to teach you how to wrap your knees. You shouldn't be able to see any skin through the wraps. Also, on the last loop, come from the top and tuck down, so that the excess drapes to your kneecap. You tuck from the bottom up, and it makes the top of your hip higher. From the top down, draping over your knee, it makes your knee taller.

Rewatch this vid and see how I end my wrap. Top down, drape over the Knee.

Thanks, guys. I probably would have edited that part out had I not lost the roll twice in the same set. It's probably hard to see with it in fast forward, but I was so frustrated I threw the one roll across the room at my weight stack. Once I calmed down and did my set I thought that would make a funny video. I was thinking keystone cops music but couldn't find a free copy. Then I remember watching Benny Hill as a kid and threw that in.

I'm definitely liking the wider stance now. I feel a lot more powerful coming out of the hole. Flexibility isn't as much of an issue anymore. My hips are loosening up and able to get deeper. I still have some work to do though.

Thanks. Just checked it out. Most of their shirts are too cocky for my taste, btu that less talky more lifty is great. Will be ordering one momentarily.

I always LOL when I see some skinny phaggot walking around the gym with some cocky slogan on his shirt. Saw a dude a couple weeks ago sporting a black t-shirt with the word BEAST in giant red letters across the chest. Did not even look like he lifted.

Thanks. Just checked it out. Most of their shirts are too cocky for my taste, btu that less talky more lifty is great. Will be ordering one momentarily.

I always LOL when I see some skinny phaggot walking around the gym with some cocky slogan on his shirt. Saw a dude a couple weeks ago sporting a black t-shirt with the word BEAST in giant red letters across the chest. Did not even look like he lifted.

bolded-lol, must be why I like them so much ;D

My daughter graduated middle school yesterday so we took he to dinner of her choice, she chose Golden Corral. There were 2 tall skinny college age kids there both where wearing bb.com shirts....since I know the type of people at that site I thought the shirts were quite appropriate. lol

I always LOL when I see some skinny phaggot walking around the gym with some cocky slogan on his shirt. Saw a dude a couple weeks ago sporting a black t-shirt with the word BEAST in giant red letters across the chest. Did not even look like he lifted.

(http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w433/Brad32825/20140613_113852.mp4)Hey hey, I'm on staycation for a couple weeks which is giving me a great opportunity to lift at a real power lifting gym, Orlando Barbell. I have access to great tools here that I normally don't. Here's a quick lift from today. I did several singles with this weight 465+60lbs of chains. Been really focusing on Sumo form and getting my hips close to the bar. Also using the chains to hit my sticking point at the top. It's not the best angle, the gym is small, but crammed with equipment, my kind of place. Hope this works, I'm posting this on my phone

I have taken the last 5 weeks off deads. (after a very heavy deadlift training cycle) Went in today to knock the dust off again. I have been dropping weight so I figured I would do a 2xBW set just for the fun of it (I'm at 201 right now).

Only thing this proves is I need to do more cardio! :D I was not muscularly fatigued, I just ran out of damn breath. If I was in decent shape, I am pretty sure I could have kept pulling for a good amount more.

I did not want to be one of those internet vids where the guy passes out and slams his face into the bar after a set of deads so I figured 20 was a good stopping point ;)

I wanted tonight to be a good night in the gym, but it just did not happen. 585 went so easy I went for a jump to 635 (which would have been a new PR). It did not happen..... Man....I HATE missing lifts!

I need to be more patient and not expect miracles. Dropping weight and expecting to pull more is just stupid really. I am going to up cals a little and just live out summer they way I am now. (I would call it 'decent' shape. I am getting back to wanting to lift up heavy sh!t.

Yes every leg day. Lately I've had to reinvent my squat as I haven't been able to hold a low bar position since October. So I've been working High bar ATG which is an ego breaker for sure. Still progress is being made I think, although today I was mistaken for a tri athlete (my town has a big tri this weekend) so maybe I am doing it wrong.

Last week's 5/3/1 1+ set lifts. Nothing special I know but according to the 1rm calculator it means I may be able to hit one of my long terms goals at last:Metric 3pps bench (140Kg), 4pps squat (180Kg), 5pps dead (220Kg)The only one of those I've actually performed to date is the deadlift. I'm tempted to try the squat soon but the bench scares the living crap out of me!

Thanks, I quit doing deads for several weeks while just doing hamstring and glute work (SLDLs thrusters etc) to correct a strength imbalance causing me to double kneebend at the higher weights. Now I'm back at them and feel I've got plenty of scope to progress again.

Its a small gym just down the road from work and a bit under the radar so even at peak times there's rarely any need to wait for anything. The plates are a bit rubbish though. You can see the gym plates are smaller than standard diameter in the vids, they are also up to 10% over weight. The 4 full diameter (450mm) plates are mine, I keep them there as they are both more accurate and allow me to deadlift from the right height. The bars are the worst thing about the gym. 32mm diameter, smoothed knurling and most are bent. I have to play hunt the straight bar whenever I want to press and I struggle to double overhand deadlift 200Kg with them due to grip:

Watch my left hand, down to fingertips, had to put it down before I dropped it so never locked out.http://youtu.be/f3huM-b3A1w (http://youtu.be/f3huM-b3A1w)

Jesus Christ....It's a good day when I can do 225 for 12 reps, let alone 315.

Must have been all the beer! Man, I am carb loaded to the gills!!! :D Got a pump so bad people probably thought I had ILS. I could not even let my arms down. ;)

1rm calcs put that at 440....but not sure I am quite there. I am not benching heavy for a while and letting my shoulders heal up. If I stick with 315, nothing really hurts. I start to have recovery issues and joint pain when I pass 360.

Thanks....aint nothing. Weight is all relative. We all just do what we can do and strive to improve. I never in a 1,000,000 years would have ever thought I would be a decent bencher, but not having dumbells at home to train with, forced me to learn to bench again. As back story, in my 20's I was convinced I could not flat bench (because I used to do it bodybuilder style). It hurt me so much, I just relied on dumbell presses instead. Never benching heavy.

When I came back, I did not have that option as my dumbells only went to 50 at home (initially). I just went back to square one, and re-learned to bench all over again.

Did not want to take any attention away from the PL meet so I waited till today to post this.

On friday, I went into the gym dragging. (sore as hell because I took the previous week off). My plan was a light back workout. I figured I would do lighter deads as it has been over a month since I have done any.

As I warmed up, I felt better and better.

Soon I had 6 plates on (585). I ended up repping 4 times strong (full stops on each rep).(which computes to a 670rm?!!?) I had another in me but did not want to 'grind' one. I have no feaking idea where that set came from...but it felt great. I did not even vid it, because I was not expecting anything great.......Maybe I should have just pulled singles that day!?

I will have to repeat it now! :D Scratch that....I am going for 5 reps. After I can rep it for 5 solid, I will set a new PR.

The guy who spotted me there, my training partner, had very bad shoulders for the last year+. Did all sorts of deep tissue massages.. etc.. etc... shoulders where really bad, was on his way to 400 and would have trouble doing 185 over the last 6 months.

Turns out, he goes and sees his doctor, refers him to a physical therapist... 2 weeks of therapy doing super light weight shoulder exercises and he is starting to bench again, pain free...

maybe it's just me, but to lock out that 4th rep looks like you used a lot of arms and shoulders which is just freaky with that much weight.

Been using the inzer for a while now. (prob a year).

As for the arms thing. I like the last rep to feel light and I like feeling the bar bounce. It is like me saying "Fuk you" to the weight. I like to manhandle my last rep just because it feels good to throw around the weight a little. Probably not a good thing from a form standpoint (as you can see the previous reps my shoulders are totally fixed). But, for me the deadlift is much more mental. I want to feel it be light. I want to dominate it, not just lift it.

My goal now is to build my strength with reps. (not triples, doubles or singles) I am going to start making 585 my bitch. I am no longer intimidated by it in the least. It is to the point where it is 'light' now and my goal is to abuse it like I used to do with 495. That to me is how I will progress from here.

I have spent too much time trying to get strong like a textbook 'powerlifter' and that is not how I have ever done things. I would just always get to a point where I would pick a heavy weight and rep the crap out of it. When I could do that, I KNEW my strength had gone up.

Sounds probably weird, but I am realizing I spent a lot of unproductive time trying to get strong in ways that have not really worked for me.

Squats 4x4 day, vid of the first 2 sets at 245#, a pr at this depth (previously was doing closer to half squats). Aside from maybe descending deeper to hit parallel, any and all feedback is appreciated. I think I've corrected my butt wink pretty well, but I can still see a little bit.

Squats 4x4 day, vid of the first 2 sets at 245#, a pr at this depth (previously was doing closer to half squats). Aside from maybe descending deeper to hit parallel, any and all feedback is appreciated. I think I've corrected my butt wink pretty well, but I can still see a little bit.

I dunno. Ever notice how your grip seems to get closer as you get squatting heavier?

And a little while ago I saw a tutorial on YouTube regarding squats, and the dude gripped about where I did, then ducked under the bar and tightened up his lower back with the bar behind his shoulders, then dropped down placing the bar in position. First time I tried this, immediately noticed my upper back and torso were straighter, less butt wink, less lower back strain.

Oh, and I have a few really funky joints and not the fun kind from college. Made joint lock techniques in TKD class much less effective on me versus 'normal' people.

I dunno. Ever notice how your grip seems to get closer as you get squatting heavier?

Nope. My shoulders don't bend that way. But, I don't do high bar and if it works for you, roll wit it brah. I low-bar and found that if I went too far in with my hands, I put too much strain on my biceps tendon causing tendinitis that affected my bench.

You are still squatting high admittedly. Is that a flexibility thing or due to the weight?

You are still squatting high admittedly. Is that a flexibility thing or due to the weight?

Mostly confidence. I start off with 2 sets of BW squats stretching deep on the last rep. The angle of the camera is also a little deceiving, the safety catches are where I would be at parallel and I'm fairly close but still have room for improvement.

Is the shoulder thing why people use that super padded safety squat bar?

Squats 4x4 day, vid of the first 2 sets at 245#, a pr at this depth (previously was doing closer to half squats). Aside from maybe descending deeper to hit parallel, any and all feedback is appreciated. I think I've corrected my butt wink pretty well, but I can still see a little bit.

Keep up the hard work and don't sacrifice good range of motion for more weight on the bar...

Not sure those would get a green light in a comp as it didn't look like your knees were locked but holy hell that was impressive as hell.

:thumbs_up:

Interesting.....I am not sure really. I was trying to think if I don't lock my knees. When I go through the motion in my head, it feels like I do. I'll have to pay attention more next time. Thanks for pointing that out though. I am wondering if sub consciously I am trying to be easy on my knees?.....

Like I said....I am making 585 my bitch now! 6 reps is coming on my next good day. No doubt about that.

for the unaware- http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=163939351&highlight=455lbs+deadlift+-+full+video (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=163939351&highlight=455lbs+deadlift+-+full+video)

unfortunately BH hasn't been in here lately so he may not see this- that makes me sad bc his vid made me lmao

for the unaware- [url]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=163939351&highlight=455lbs+deadlift+-+full+video[/url] ([url]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=163939351&highlight=455lbs+deadlift+-+full+video[/url])

unfortunately BH hasn't been in here lately so he may not see this- that makes me sad bc his vid made me lmao

What makes me sad is that it's not April 1st. I have a feeling this winter is going to be bad. I'd just assume sleep through it.

Feels good guys! Thanks for the support. You can see I was more aggressive today then usual. I really am feeling more confident in my ability to pull.

The latter reps are hard because I cant catch my breath. I have to stop and hold a big breath in to push against. Think I need to do some cardio! :D

The last rep I actually thought to make sure I locked out fully with my legs after your guys suggestions. I think normally I am doing it to be easy on my knees without thinking about it. It does not make the lift any harder, I just have to remember to do it!

7 is coming soon! Will put my estimated 1rm just over 700lbs. Not saying it will be that high IRL...but I will be fairly confident that my 1rm has gone up for sure!!! Going back to what I know has proven to work for me better then all these fancy programs I have tried. Kinda funny....

ID, all I have to say is DAMN SON!!! Oh and MAD PROPS!!! Real impressive.

One question though. Why drop the weights so fast/hard after each rep? That looks like a possibility of stressing the back. Or maybe it just looks that way to me. Not second guessing your knowledge of the lift.

One question though. Why drop the weights so fast/hard after each rep? That looks like a possibility of stressing the back. Or maybe it just looks that way to me. Not second guessing your knowledge of the lift.

Just saw this.

On a deadlift, the eccentric is actually the most taxing part of the lift. While I am able of lower the weight easy, it is actually very hard on me recovery wise. I will do it at times but not were I am in my training pushing heavy every week.

As an extreme example you will notice guys who compete in olympic lifter NEVER lower the weight. They drop it after each completed rep lifted. The notion is to get as much training in as possible and the eccentric really tears you down too much.

Some guys that train heavy deads use bumper plates for this reason. They just pull and drop. I dont have access to bumpers so I just lower in a controlled, but aggressive manner.

All different strokes....but at these weights I have all I can do to recover to train again within a week.

@ Stile.

Nice lift man! That is a great lift for anyone let alone 155#. This place is becoming a haven for deadlifting!

Ok. Need some depth analysis or any other critiques on these squats by USPA rules. I'm also trying to figure out my squat numbers for the meet on the 27th. Any suggestions based on these lifts? Oh, and next time I'll lower the bar height, to lazy to do it after I already loaded the bar.

One question though. Why drop the weights so fast/hard after each rep? That looks like a possibility of stressing the back. Or maybe it just looks that way to me. Not second guessing your knowledge of the lift.

Just saw this.

On a deadlift, the eccentric is actually the most taxing part of the lift. While I am able of lower the weight easy, it is actually very hard on me recovery wise. I will do it at times but not were I am in my training pushing heavy every week.

As an extreme example you will notice guys who compete in olympic lifter NEVER lower the weight. They drop it after each completed rep lifted. The notion is to get as much training in as possible and the eccentric really tears you down too much.

Some guys that train heavy deads use bumper plates for this reason. They just pull and drop. I dont have access to bumpers so I just lower in a controlled, but aggressive manner.

All different strokes....but at these weights I have all I can do to recover to train again within a week.

@ Stile.

Nice lift man! That is a great lift for anyone let alone 155#. This place is becoming a haven for deadlifting!

That makes total sense. I had no idea, that's why I asked. I always lower it in a slower controlled movement. That's probably part of the reason why heavy deads take so much out of me.

Thanks man. Always a little 'high' coming off a good gym day for sure. Feels really good. My improvements in my hip just from this week of therapy were VERY apparent in the gym. I really felt much more centered in my lift. Just feels good to feel good.

As for a meet, there will be a time I am sure....just have not found it yet. In the end, a trophy or a ribbon does not do it for me. Might sound weird....but each day like this is a 'high' for me. I cant explain how weak I felt when I was got in my accident. It scared the crap out of me and I never wanted to feel like that again. Guess you could say I have overcompensated some ;)

In the end, I just want to be able to do all this and not hurt. If I can get everything to feel good, maybe I can pull off a meet sometime. Would be the best to meet up with you guys though..... doing it with a room full of strangers is not as fun. You guys have seen me though a lot stuff and offered countless support. I appreciate that even though we have never met IRL. Maybe I can change that next year in Rochester.....never know!

Bruce Lee had a great quote about trophies, I can't recall it well enough to try to paraphrase it, but it was along those lines. The real beauty of the meet is your friends cheering you on, along with 200 other people. One of my comp vids has Bodyhard loud and clear yelling "C'Mon Bando you got this" and I got it - PR. The trophy is just a nice reminder of that day and that accomplishment.

New pr myself, worked up to 405 x5, and decided throw on 20lbs for 2 PRs (reps on 405 and a new single).. whatever I am doing recently is working.. ;) confidence is sure as shit better than it was... damn.

New pr myself, worked up to 405 x5, and decided throw on 20lbs for 2 PRs (reps on 405 and a new single).. whatever I am doing recently is working.. ;) confidence is sure as shit better than it was... damn.

New pr myself, worked up to 405 x5, and decided throw on 20lbs for 2 PRs (reps on 405 and a new single).. whatever I am doing recently is working.. ;) confidence is sure as shit better than it was... damn.

Had my first 'off' day in the gym today in 2 months. (for a dead day). I was up on the balls of my feet and my groove was all screwed up. I did not want to push too hard when I was not feeling it.

This is good evidence that I need to condition myself more to the heavier and heavier stuff. I think my plan is the right one. This 605 felt kinda heavy, but watching the vid, I handled it good. Just shows how the mind can work. I am going to stay at this weight and work up for a bit. I expect 5 next week....and then I will go up 10lbs at a time trying to keep 4-5 reps.

New bar next week too!. After I am acclimated to it, It will be single time. Something I will work down to over time.

I've been doing a heavy week and more of a rep/base building week. So this week the goal is to get heavier weight on my chest, get used to the weight, incorporate upper 200s and 300+ into my routine. So, post warm up (bar x25x25, 135 x15, 225 x3) I throw on 275 and start..

Next week is more of my base building week where I will stick with a weight until I get 10 reps and then increment by 5lbs the following base building week. BUT, I do 4 or more sets with that base building weight, so, I am at 260 there... so 4 sets of 260 next week... then I drop to 225 and a couple sets of 185 with the objectives of the lighter weight being speed/violence/explosion off the chest... something I need to work on.

NO nut-hug dude but that was seriously insane. My best triple to date is 525.

Wow..................

Thanks dude. I am kinda riding a wave right now. Seems my lifts seem to come in waves. I had been stagnate for a year on deads. Even the Coan routine at best gave me 10lbs. Funny how just a mindset change can make such a difference. I am down to only 1 working set per week....and it seems to be working.

Again.....I KNOW you have a ton more in your deads. YOU just have to figure that out too. Like I said earlier, I know where I would start. You need to rework your form to take advantage of how strong you really are.

Had my first 'off' day in the gym today in 2 months. (for a dead day). I was up on the balls of my feet and my groove was all screwed up. I did not want to push too hard when I was not feeling it.

This is good evidence that I need to condition myself more to the heavier and heavier stuff. I think my plan is the right one. This 605 felt kinda heavy, but watching the vid, I handled it good. Just shows how the mind can work. I am going to stay at this weight and work up for a bit. I expect 5 next week....and then I will go up 10lbs at a time trying to keep 4-5 reps.

New bar next week too!. After I am acclimated to it, It will be single time. Something I will work down to over time.

Had my first 'off' day in the gym today in 2 months. (for a dead day). I was up on the balls of my feet and my groove was all screwed up. I did not want to push too hard when I was not feeling it.

This is good evidence that I need to condition myself more to the heavier and heavier stuff. I think my plan is the right one. This 605 felt kinda heavy, but watching the vid, I handled it good. Just shows how the mind can work. I am going to stay at this weight and work up for a bit. I expect 5 next week....and then I will go up 10lbs at a time trying to keep 4-5 reps.

New bar next week too!. After I am acclimated to it, It will be single time. Something I will work down to over time.

Damn. Solid set right there. I think you had another one in you. Sometimes the mind won't let you try that one last rep....happens to me all the time. :D

Oh crap! Not you...no contests please :D

It is funny how right your statement is. I felt so crappy while doing that set and then I watched the vid, and I looked pretty tight. My mind was telling me, I was pulling all screwed up and using bad form. I felt like I was having to 'grind' every rep.... and it just doesn't look like it.

I think I have to condition myself a little more and get used to weights as I go up. I remember where you got to a point where you pulled a bunch of singles in your training. I can see the usefulness of that. It might be something I borrow moving forward.

I am going to get 5 reps with the 605 on friday and then see how I feel. I might start creeping up 10lbs at a time and repping, or I may just do as you did and start adding 10lbs and pulling a bunch of singles heavier and heavier.

I'm honestly not sure pulling singles will help you personally because your technique is pretty much dead on. If you want to try it, I'll give you the breakdown. I was dead lifting every other day or every third day, but with singles, it was doable. lol You'll get your 5 reps on Friday, no doubt about it. If you want my honest assessment of your last dead lifting session I'll give it to ya. You looked lazy....and by that, I mean you were just lifting to lift. You weren't attacking the weights at all. You were lifting as if the barbell were an egg. haha I have no other criticisms because besides one bad training session, you pretty much fuck shit up consistently. I mean that will all due respect. :D

No contests YET. haha Eventually I want to do a 600lb deadlift for AMRAP in say 1 minute or maybe two minutes. I'm afraid of the two minutes though, as I see us both dying. :D

You'll get your 5 reps on Friday, no doubt about it. If you want my honest assessment of your last dead lifting session I'll give it to ya. You looked lazy....and by that, I mean you were just lifting to lift. You weren't attacking the weights at all. You were lifting as if the barbell were an egg.

You'll get your 5 reps on Friday, no doubt about it. If you want my honest assessment of your last dead lifting session I'll give it to ya. You looked lazy....and by that, I mean you were just lifting to lift. You weren't attacking the weights at all. You were lifting as if the barbell were an egg.

+1. Glad to see your stuff back here HnH. I've been working your singles program for deadlifting

How is that working for you? If anything, you'll master your technique. :)

I'm liking it a lot. I'll find out at the end of this cycle how much it has worked. I've been resisting the urge to test until the end. This week was 8 singles @ 85% every 3 minutes. Next week will be 6 singles @ 90% every 5 minutes. The cycle comes to a close the last week with 2-3 singles @ 95% unlimited rest. Recover a week then test. Hoping to finally hit 4 plates and get my 1000lb total I keep missing. Every session feels easy until around 3/4ths of the way through when fatigue begins to set in and speed slows down.

I think my problem is definitely technique related since I'm been able to work up to a certain weight and the next small increase feels like it is glued to the floor.

Was all psyced to use the new bar. (which I did). I really like it, the feel..etc. I can notice a difference at the bottom of my pull. It really suits my style of peeling the weight off the ground rather then exploding. (I am not an explosive deadlifter)

Unfortunately, I just could not get in the right mindset again. Lots of excuses.....bad nights sleep, then spending all day working in front of a computer....etc. All excuses but I was not my best walking in.

I shot a vid with just 495 so you can see the reaction of the bar. I played with the bar a little, tugging it etc. It is lively for sure. I like it. Here is that weight.495 okie bar reaction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qxybvbbQsw#)

Here is my 605 set, and I only got 4 reps AGAIN. Disappointed as you can see 5 was NOT in me. But I can see from the vid that this bar will really suit the way I pull. The heavier the weight, the more it gives.605x 4 (failed at 5) okie bar deadlift (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVdTf1VcBkc#ws)

OK....the good news. Being a little off is making me toughen up. I am pulling through spots where I normally would just ditch the weight. I am coming as close to 'grinding' as I ever have. I am feeling more confidence than ever to pull with all I have. I am still not pulling with 100% confidence. I can feel part of me holding back. But I am feeling more confident to do it and I think I will get there.

I think I am going to give the reps a break for a while and start working down to a new single over the next few weeks. This is going on 2 1/2 months of heavy deads and I dont want to push too much. I know I am stronger, I just dont know how much. I will be happy with any PR and anything over 625 is a bonus so I think I have that licked.

So pull my PR over the next few weeks and then take a little break from deads for a while. Maybe then will be the time to hit my squat. My hip is feeling better then ever ;)

Was all psyced to use the new bar. (which I did). I really like it, the feel..etc. I can notice a difference at the bottom of my pull. It really suits my style of peeling the weight off the ground rather then exploding. (I am not an explosive deadlifter)

Unfortunately, I just could not get in the right mindset again. Lots of excuses.....bad nights sleep, then spending all day working in front of a computer....etc. All excuses but I was not my best walking in.

I shot a vid with just 495 so you can see the reaction of the bar. I played with the bar a little, tugging it etc. It is lively for sure. I like it. Here is that weight.495 okie bar reaction ([url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qxybvbbQsw#[/url])

Here is my 605 set, and I only got 4 reps AGAIN. Disappointed as you can see 5 was NOT in me. But I can see from the vid that this bar will really suit the way I pull. The heavier the weight, the more it gives.605x 4 (failed at 5) okie bar deadlift ([url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVdTf1VcBkc#ws[/url])

OK....the good news. Being a little off is making me toughen up. I am pulling through spots where I normally would just ditch the weight. I am coming as close to 'grinding' as I ever have. I am feeling more confidence than ever to pull with all I have. I am still not pulling with 100% confidence. I can feel part of me holding back. But I am feeling more confident to do it and I think I will get there.

I think I am going to give the reps a break for a while and start working down to a new single over the next few weeks. This is going on 2 1/2 months of heavy deads and I dont want to push too much. I know I am stronger, I just dont know how much. I will be happy with any PR and anything over 625 is a bonus so I think I have that licked.

So pull my PR over the next few weeks and then take a little break from deads for a while. Maybe then will be the time to hit my squat. My hip is feeling better then ever ;)

Every time I watch one of your DL vids I wanna get in the gym and hit deads. Maybe end of next week, depending on my back. You gotta like seeing a guy in a Mickey Mouse shirt pulling 605x4. ;D

Impressive as always, especially the fact you're doing complete stops after each rep. You seemed to lose focus or something after that 4th rep. Maybe that's just how I'm interpreting what I'm seeing. I'm sure you'll get that 5th rep in no time though.

New pb tonight on deads. 635 single. Went for 655 and did not have it in me. I think I screwed myself. I pushed too hard. I think I should have pulled my single a few weeks back. My intensity and drive has just fell off. Not nearly as co.for table stepping up to pull. Overshot my peak. Live and learn.

Hard to be disappointed with a new PR. But I know I screwed up. Going to take a break for a while from deads....

Thanks guys. I know it feels silly to be disappointed, but I know I had more in me. I just could not reach down in myself and tap that power. You can see my lack of confidence in the way I stand at the bar and in my setup. I could not find a comfortable breath to push against. I just sat there a long time.

Truth is, I knew I was off. The past two weeks (and this third week) I could feel myself slipping downhill. That fire was out. I felt like I had to back off. But I wanted my PR. In the end, I got what I want, but I know if I had pulled 3 weeks ago, I had more in me. I just need to give myself a small break at this point.

It is a real good lesson to lean. Gains and progress are not indefinite. I learned a good amount of what it feels to ride a little groove in your training and then to peak and fall off. Never quite experienced it quite as pronounced. (but then again, I never really focused on one lift so much).

The vid speaks for itself. It is a clear demonstration of lack of confidence. I am timid on the initial pull, and the weight just sits there a while. Then after a bit, I gain more and more confidence. Eventually, I am like "fuk it! I can lift this!!" And it comes up easy. It looks almost silly when I watch it....but I know exactly why it went the way it did. Good learning experience and proof positive that the deadlift, more so than any other lift, requires you being in the right mindset for best performance.

I'm doing heavy singles this week and next week. Here's some of my work from today. Today was squat day so I got the wraps out of storage and went 345, 365, 385 for a 10lb PR. I was going to do a second set with 385 but said to hell with that. I tossed on a couple nickels and did a set with 395.

Dude, I love you like a red-headed step-brother, but please stop being a tit.

You just pulled 635 which is fucking huge. Just admit you did well and accept all the nut hugging and kudos that come your way.

Thox.

Yea....I know. But I cant say I have ever been as disappointed with a performance as I was today. I know if fuked up. I should have stuck to my original plan. (when I could rep 585x6 then pull a new single PR). Instead, I wanted 7 and then I wanted 605x5...etc. I burned myself out. Just greed and ego got in the way.

It is a good lesson to lean. We all demand things of ourselves. Even though it is a PR, I know I did not do my best. Hard for me to get past that feeling and just enjoy it. I appreciate the kick in the a$$. It does help and lends perspective for sure.

Thanks man. Yea with deads, grip strength is never an issue for me. I am a big fan of straps in general training. My lifts tonight show I can go months and months without doing mixed grip and just go in any day and hold the bar. Last time I have lifted deads without straps was 6 months ago) No real big deal. Grip strength does not fall off.

I just choose to minimize injury exposure and want my lats to get even work in deads. Mixed grip is just ego. (and that is why I just held it at the top ;) ). Feels good to just say F.U. to the weight.

That 7th rep was tough..but knowing I was going to post the vid I wasn't going to fail. Really happy with where I am now. I've reset squats too many times to count in order to get my form correct. Think I've finally done it. I welcome any critiques. Just keep in mind I lowbar squat so my chest angle is going to be more pronounced than what many here are use to.

Wendler 531 has been a godsend for me. It's slow progress by I haven't stalled on it and my joints feel much better than when doing starting strength.

Awesome! Form looks really nice. Just curious about the head down. But even so, it looks like your upper back stays nice and tight. Depth is great.

Nice work!

Thanks ID. The head down thing is what is taught in Starting Strength. It's one of the fundamentals of the low bar squat. It's meant to keep the neck in line with the back. If done right there should be a straight line from the back of your head down to your tailbone.

Figured I should start posting some vids here so I don't just look like a fanboy.

I'm on week 2 of Wendler 531.

That 7th rep was tough..but knowing I was going to post the vid I wasn't going to fail. Really happy with where I am now. I've reset squats too many times to count in order to get my form correct. Think I've finally done it. I welcome any critiques. Just keep in mind I lowbar squat so my chest angle is going to be more pronounced than what many here are use to.

Wendler 531 has been a godsend for me. It's slow progress by I haven't stalled on it and my joints feel much better than when doing starting strength.

Nice squats! I too reset mine soo many times.. and finally making solid progress as you.. keep at it!

Yea.....I know with you around. I can hit proper depth, but I am no atg squatter. I am interested to see if thework on my hip changes anything. I can now probably mess with different width stances too!

Just posting because I called myself out. What would it make me if I cant post my sh!tty workouts and only post the good?

I am fukin beat....beat, beat, beat. I am run down in a hole. I need to take a light week this coming week and just start to recover a little. Not to mention I spent all day doing a unplanned full gut of a bathroom in one of my rental homes. (leaky toilet rotted the subfloor). I had to pull everything out but the tub. Replaced all subfloor, underlayment and laid new vinyl and re installed vanity and toilet. (not exactly a 'light' day)

Regardless, there is some good in this. This is the first time I squatted since beginning work on my hip. I went up to 495 and I would say my ROM is significantly increased. Before, my hips simply would not drop below parallel now matter what. If I rounded my back a little (on lighter weight) I could come down more, but never when holding a 'tight' back. I watched the vid and was pleasantly surprised at my ROM.

I still cant squat wide (tried it and dont have the hip mobility....but at least it did not hurt!). I am going to start doing some mobility work and foam rolling to see if I can get my hips in better shape overall in the next few months.

That said, WTF was with that bobbing up and down before you started? That would totally get you red lighted in a comp.

I was just seeing how the weight felt. It felt considerably different. Hard to describe, but I did not feel as much tension. I felt like dropping back was going to feel different, so I played with the weight for a second.

Obviously something is different. I need to work on loosening up my whole lower body. I am tight from my calves to my hips...and everywhere in between.

Cali, watch ID's squat, never mind the weight, but at 26 seconds in he drops, breaks at the hips and sits back. Pause his lift at 27-28 seconds in, and check his form.. specifically note the weight on the heels and how he 'SAT BACK' in his squat.

Compare that form with your form at about 10 seconds in (at the bottom of your first rep). Pause them both, compare them.

You are, how the hell do I describe it, umm.. squishing forward with weight on the balls of your feet, almost losing balance forward.

Sit back.

Practice with Body Weight squats, lift your big toe up when you practice, and sit BACK.

Forget the weight on the bar, leave the ego at home, and just practice doing correct squats for a bit.

Think Big Chest - Puff it out.. bar on the shoulder blades...

Keep at it, squatting isn't easy. I had issues for ages, reset over and over and over, took forever to get the fair form I have now.. and my shit still needs lots of work.. lol.

Thanks for the critique. I wore the striped pants to make it more obvious if I was anywhere near parallel haha

Honestly, it wasn't a good example set. 11pm on a Friday night, just after failing a set on the bench lol

I upped the weight more than I usually do. I was supposed to do 42.5 but I went to 45 because I couldn't find the necessary weights. Not a huge jump but I definitely felt it.

I'm not sure if you guys noticed, but after shrugging the weight up, I backed onto 5lb plates, trying to get pressure on my heels. I have terrible lower body ROM, and the plates seem to help, but they screw with my balance a bit. I usually use 2.5s or go without plates- but the 2.5s were nowhere to be found :(

I had an experienced friend spot my bench form, and he said it was good apart from my narrow grip. Couldn't take video since he was spotting me.

My entire lower body is crap. My Achilles is tight almost to the point of needing surgery, and everything else is very, very tight- especially hamstrings. I have a funny gait when walking, not too noticeable but you can see it if you're attentive. Been like this since I started walking, unfortunately. All because of the lack of flexibility and tight as hell muscles.

Apart from practicing the squat, what else do you guys recommend I do to gain some flexibility and loosen the hell up?

My entire lower body is crap. My Achilles is tight almost to the point of needing surgery, and everything else is very, very tight- especially hamstrings. I have a funny gait when walking, not too noticeable but you can see it if you're attentive. Been like this since I started walking, unfortunately. All because of the lack of flexibility and tight as hell muscles.

Apart from practicing the squat, what else do you guys recommend I do to gain some flexibility and loosen the hell up?

Daily mobility work. Maybe 2x daily. Easy to get it in while relaxing in front of the boob tube or studying. Look up mobilityWOD on you tubes. Get into uncomfortable positions, hold, relax, repeat. I did a lot of laundry folding on the floor from a squat position. Wife thought I was nuts but loved the fact that I was doing the laundry. I practiced hitting depth sitting on the toilet. Anything you can do to stretch yourself out as often as you can.

Hips were a tad tight tonight. Nice thing, as the set went on they got deeper. I also felt more confident sitting back. Stripe on side of shorts make it look high but I screen capped just to be sure they were good depth. With my hips as tight as they are, it always feels like I am 'bottoming out' regardless. ;) I video myself to keep honest. I think I could have ground out another rep, but I am not wanting to push that hard yet on my hip as I have only been back squatting a few weeks.

Wow....thanks guys. It feels good to be able to squat with a little more confidence since getting my hip to loosen up a bit. I am still trying to find a comfortable footing width. I tried going slightly wider than shoulder and even with 135, it hurt too much. (no point in aggravating my hip at this point). I am back to standing very narrow. Closer than shoulder, heels about 8-9" apart. I can feel the power I am giving up, but I have ZERO pain during or after.

Thanks for the support and props. Feels good to just say I am going to do something and then walk in and be able to 'put up'. I enjoy keeping the pressure on myself that way ;)

Not a single rep was done this day.Not to sound demeaning, but that was half-assed.

You didn't touch your chest, you didn't start from a full lockout, and you never finished a lockout. Your lower body was not tight, and you barely struggled.

I know you're not aiming for a Big Bench, but you are aiming for a Big Chest. Flat bench will get you there, but Incline Bench will do so much more for you.

In the Video, if you did touch your chest, you're too high. Your elbows are flared way to far up, and putting stress on your shoulder joint. Easiest way to a bench press shoulder injury is going heavy, and having the bar path come in at your upper chest. aim to put the bar on your nipples when you come down.

I'd like to see an Incline Bench Press video. With proper form, that will make your chest grow like a loaf of bread, and your shoulders become bowling balls.

Thank you for the insight.I have trouble with a full lockout/extension when benching and OHPing, my right elbow can't match the other one. That's why my right arm struggles first in the video. Some good info Deralta! I've never incline benched since it's not in SL 5x5.

Thank you for the insight.I have trouble with a full lockout/extension when benching and OHPing, my right elbow can't match the other one. That's why my right arm struggles first in the video. Some good info Deralta! I've never incline benched since it's not in SL 5x5.

Just curious, if you want to look like a Physique Model, why are you following a Powerlifting Program?

Thank you for the insight.I have trouble with a full lockout/extension when benching and OHPing, my right elbow can't match the other one. That's why my right arm struggles first in the video. Some good info Deralta! I've never incline benched since it's not in SL 5x5.

Just curious, if you want to look like a Physique Model, why are you following a Powerlifting Program?

That's what I've been recommended, with the justification that you need something to build off of

Damn! Nice job. Can't imagine (at this point) having that kind of weight on my shoulders.

Thanks!! I actually stole my set up from I believe Dealta with the weight popping. It helps psych me up and also get my back prepped for the weight....oddly enough, it feels lighter when I do that, lol....until I start squatting anyways.

Impressive. What kind of plates are those? Looked like a lot more than 175lbs.

Also, mad jelly of your gym. Post up some pics of the complete gym.

Those are Rough Bumper plates. The green ones are 25lbs, the black ones are 10lbs each and a 45lb bar, 45+50+80=175. :)

I'll shoot a few tomorrow night and post them up. It really is a sweet place to train, and the owners are great. Father/Daughter owners. Dad's always been a heavy lifter, and he really likes to train with good stuff. Daughter is really smart, and knows her stuff. Plus, I can use chalk!

Impressive. What kind of plates are those? Looked like a lot more than 175lbs.

Also, mad jelly of your gym. Post up some pics of the complete gym.

Those are Rough Bumper plates. The green ones are 25lbs, the black ones are 10lbs each and a 45lb bar, 45+50+80=175. :)

I'll shoot a few tomorrow night and post them up. It really is a sweet place to train, and the owners are great. Father/Daughter owners. Dad's always been a heavy lifter, and he really likes to train with good stuff. Daughter is really smart, and knows her stuff. Plus, I can use chalk!

It aint much compared to most of the vids on this thread, but I am happy with my effort last night. I feel like I got good depth, and happy with the fact there is not real pain or discomfort in my lower back. Even got a compliment on the squats last night.

It aint much compared to most of the vids on this thread, but I am happy with my effort last night. I feel like I got good depth, and happy with the fact there is not real pain or discomfort in my lower back. Even got a compliment on the squats last night.

It aint much compared to most of the vids on this thread, but I am happy with my effort last night. I feel like I got good depth, and happy with the fact there is not real pain or discomfort in my lower back. Even got a compliment on the squats last night.

It aint much compared to most of the vids on this thread, but I am happy with my effort last night. I feel like I got good depth, and happy with the fact there is not real pain or discomfort in my lower back. Even got a compliment on the squats last night.

It aint much compared to most of the vids on this thread, but I am happy with my effort last night. I feel like I got good depth, and happy with the fact there is not real pain or discomfort in my lower back. Even got a compliment on the squats last night.

Nice work man. Never actually done trap bar deads. I like how you can get an ideal back position on them. They look like you are getting more quad activation then with conventional. Looks like a good mix/balance.

Man you are coming back quick. Dont let the ego lead you though. I hurt my shoulder with my ego, and now have been benching for 6 weeks with 135. I too am learning to keep myself in check.

Shrug bar deads are a lot easier with the high handles , for rep work especially. With heavy weights and low reps it gets chaotic as the bar can move out of the groove very easily, some vids on youtube are pure cringe with the way peoples backs fold over on heavy shrug bar deads

It did. Right after my meet I started really analyzing my form and made a few tweaks to improve. Widened stance, knee travel, tightened core, setup/walkout, and focus were all changed. I even changed shoes. Widening did take time though. It took me a long time to just be able to hit depth with a narrow stance. When I first widened it, I noticed my mobility wasn't there yet to hit depth with the wider stance. I had to start all over on the mobility stuff and work everyday to get to where I'm at. Even now, I can't hit depth easily until I get a few warmups done. All my tightness is in my hips.

To the muther fucker that squatted 490lbs 2 weeks ago for RPS in the 181lb 45-49 Masters Raw Modern division. I'm coming at you, bro! This was 100% RAW w/ no wraps. [url]http://youtu.be/fbSL8mv4IwA[/url] ([url]http://youtu.be/fbSL8mv4IwA[/url])

I'm adding in the wraps next week. I feel like I'm super-human with those.

Honestly I have never used that attachment and I almost always use the pulldown for wide grip pulldowns. Max I go with those is #240 but fairly confident I could do the whole stack...will see tomorrow. Thanks for the little push and change up there Jim.

Scary drop to the hole there Stiles. Try to keep that back tight and brace your core against your belt. Try to think of sitting back to a chair that's behind you and don't think of the bar going down. You're making progress!

I was finally able to work with a weight that calculated to over a 405 RAW/no wraps squat. 360 x 4 which comes to 408 e1RM.

What can I do better? Not heavy at all for some of you, but it was relatively heavy for me. Touched my chest!

Good job touching your chest Cali. Keep doing that! It still looks like you are either touching too low on your chest or flaring your elbows at the bottom so that your elbows aren't under your hands at the bottom. Also, look at your wrists. You are rolling them all over the place. See if you can set the bar more in the heels of your palm so the bar is directly in line with your forearm. Last bit is a simple fix. After your liftoff, wait until the weight settles before lowering. The bar was still live as you started the first rep which may have thrown you off a bit.

What can I do better? Not heavy at all for some of you, but it was relatively heavy for me. Touched my chest!

Good job touching your chest Cali. Keep doing that! It still looks like you are either touching too low on your chest or flaring your elbows at the bottom so that your elbows aren't under your hands at the bottom. Also, look at your wrists. You are rolling them all over the place. See if you can set the bar more in the heels of your palm so the bar is directly in line with your forearm. Last bit is a simple fix. After your liftoff, wait until the weight settles before lowering. The bar was still live as you started the first rep which may have thrown you off a bit.

Much better than the last squat video I saw from you. You look to be in much better control of the weight. The bench is still too high for you to hit parallel though. It's obvious if you look at the stripes on your sweats. Is there anything lower there you can use? Maybe stack a couple step-up boxes? I built a box for my home gym so that could be an option for you if you have tools and are a little handy.

Here you can see I was checking the height. This box is 12" tall but I'm only 5'6". Still, with this you can add height with rubber mats to get to where you need to be. You can even start a little high then pull a sheet of rubber every week until you are where you want to be.(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f46/OIIIIIO/Powerlifting/Home%20Gym/20140504_213332_zpsn99hbfie.jpg) (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/OIIIIIO/media/Powerlifting/Home%20Gym/20140504_213332_zpsn99hbfie.jpg.html)

Much better than the last squat video I saw from you. You look to be in much better control of the weight. The bench is still too high for you to hit parallel though. It's obvious if you look at the stripes on your sweats. Is there anything lower there you can use? Maybe stack a couple step-up boxes? I built a box for my home gym so that could be an option for you if you have tools and are a little handy.

Here you can see I was checking the height. This box is 12" tall but I'm only 5'6". Still, with this you can add height with rubber mats to get to where you need to be. You can even start a little high then pull a sheet of rubber every week until you are where you want to be.

There is one smaller box, and it's REALLY low. My friend and I tried it, and it's tough with just body weight, let alone with a bar or loaded bar. Nevertheless, I'll try it tomorrow. Maybe I need to put a 45 on it to make it taller. I don't lift at home and I don't think building and bringing my own box would work out too well lol

There is one smaller box, and it's REALLY low. My friend and I tried it, and it's tough with just body weight, let alone with a bar or loaded bar. Nevertheless, I'll try it tomorrow. Maybe I need to put a 45 on it to make it taller. I don't lift at home and I don't think building and bringing my own box would work out too well lol

Cali it's good to see you working on improving and taking the good advice given you.

Bench was better but those box squats are too high.

Anyway, keep it up. Progress is progress.

This, and if need be drop those plates off the bar and start with the bar weight and move up 5-10lbs each session as your form improves, it works, may make you feel like a sissy for a while but it works..... Ask me how I know

I used a lower box with a 45lb plate on it.Give me a min and I'll post the photo, I wasn't able to take video.I checked my positioning with my iPhone level, and my body is at a 6-7* decline when down, so I should be a little below parallel.

Felt really good today, threw up 75's for 4 sets, will document in my log later [url]http://youtu.be/mA8KLfi9iVc[/url] ([url]http://youtu.be/mA8KLfi9iVc[/url])

I would like to see those bells just touch your front delts, the stretch and burn will be worth it. Even if you gotta step back to the 65's to do it Bro.

I may work on that with the lighter sets, problem I have with those for some reason is I get a discomfort in my right shoulder if I go too far down, may just be a mobility issue I need to work through, I'm scared of a shoulder injury, But I will work on that!

Nothing spectacular, but this is my first time benching anything over 225 in almost 3 months due to hurting my shoulder.

I planned on only one rep to see how it felt. It felt OK so I kept going. Around 8 I could feel that my shoulder was not 100%. I did not push it too far, but nice to know I have not lost too much.

I think I will re-incorporate 315 into benching but stay with sets of 5 paused. I will do the majority of my work with 225 though for as long as it takes to feel better. Not sure I will ever bench "heavy" again.....

Well...I am not 100% sure what did it...but I know the day I did it! About 3 months back I was feeling good and decided to go up to 365 which is generally 4-5 reps for me. I had been taking some time away from heavy work and hit is nice. BUT I did not have a lift off. (more on that later).

I then went to do some dips....I barely made it through my first set and thought....'boy that felt weird'. I tried a second set and I had to stop 1/2 way through. It was definite pain.

That night my shoulder hurt terribly deep down in it. The same way it hurt after my accident. (My shoulder hurt worse than my broken neck) but there was no broken bones. I dont think the accident is the first thing that caused issues with the shoulder. I broke that collarbone at 18 and ever since that shoulder sits about 1" out of alignment. I also separated that same shoulder once. So I have always had shoulder issues. So much so, I did not barbell bench in my 20's. I was convinced that I could not.

It was not until I started working out and was forced to bench again (because my dumbbells only went up to 50;) ) I learned much better form and have got my bench up to decent weight. But my shoulder is always a weak point.

I think lifting off myself with that much weight caused my to let my shoulders loosen up. I have to stay extremely tight with my bench form. (which is why I NEVER grind a rep). That is how I can guarantee I will hurt myself.

So that was it.... I have just been doing reverse grip bench up to 225. The hand position takes a lot of stress off shoulders. Today is the first day I even went 225 with a normal grip. I can still feel there is deep pain though.... Going to continue to take it easy for a while...and possible forever.....(not sure)

Being back in my old gym is firing me up. Boy I miss this place! Been a few months since I deadlifted. Decided to jump in with some guys. Went up to 585. Did 2 and my belt felt like sh!t. (gained too much weight and it felt too tight). I stripped it off and continued the set and did 3 more. My buddy stopped filming, and then restarted when he figured out I was still going. ;)

Never deadlifted 585 with no belt....was just pissed off enough that I stripped off the belt and said fuk it! Felt fine.

Later as I was finishing up, some guys were doing farmers walks. I have never done them before so I decided to try. These are 205lbs (handles weigh 25lbs). It is very different. Quite a core workout. Did not want to push it as I deadlifted heavy earlier so I did two sets and see how I feel tomorrow!

Thanks guys. I have been in a little funk lately. Training at the 'new' gym is not good for my motivation. Too much chrome and spandex....too many treadmills.

Just walking in my old gym the past few days I started getting excited to lift again. Could be my good friends there....hell EVERYONE in there gets along. They all know the "rules" and give respect to others where it is due. In that place, you earn it and guys support each other all to try to get better. Anyone going for a PR (regardless of the amount of weight) will get 5-6 guys rooting him on. I feel lucky to have found that place.

At my new gym, best I can muster is the desire to 'body build' and pump up a little. Really.....it is like two different worlds. It is just what I have to deal with, but I know where I really belong. Wont matter much as when I start cutting, I am due for a few months of sh!tty lifting. I needed this to remember what it is that fires me up.

Thanks for understanding.....this is a cool place with good people. I finally feel good that I can contribute something of value to this tread. I hope it fires some guys up as you guys do for me!

OT.... But was in a crossfit store this past week and saw something. I asked and the manager said that it was a prototype and not for sale yet. Imagine a really beefy trap bar with two sets of handles at the sides for normal and wide grip, then on the front and back of it was another set of fat grip bars where you could do farmers walks. It had to have been 100#+ and deep knurling on all the handles. And all powder coated black. So much want. He said it would be $500 when they start producing for sale.

Instead walked out of there with a set of "cannonball" grip trainers. Holy cow, can barely hold on to 25# with those things.

Was hoping for some soreness today especially considering I had not done deads in so long.....but I am not sore in the least. I would have thought the farmers would help ensure that....but guess not?...

Regardless the farmers are a keeper. When some nicer weather hits we are going to use them outside in the back parking lot. It will be fun and a full body workout for sure!

Sounds like a good accessory after doing a main lift. Might pick up some Olympic dumbbells to use for this. needed a set anyway.

Got a set, by the time you load them with enough weight to do a decent farmers carry, you'll bust up your thighs trying to walk with them. You either need longer handles like ID has in the vid, or something like a frame or trap bar (but that takes away from some of the balance part of the exercise).

Was hoping for some soreness today especially considering I had not done deads in so long.....but I am not sore in the least. I would have thought the farmers would help ensure that....but guess not?...

Regardless the farmers are a keeper. When some nicer weather hits we are going to use them outside in the back parking lot. It will be fun and a full body workout for sure!

You'll definitely feel it all across your "core" like you were used as a punching bag for a muey thai training class.

You'll definitely feel it all across your "core" like you were used as a punching bag for a muey thai training class.

Wish I could say I did....but no sorness at all. My traps might have the slightest bit of tightness, but thats it. (I was expecting to be sore at least though the traps since it is has been so long since I deadlifted) Nothing sore. :(

I really dont get sore anymore...and have not for a while. The last time I can remember getting sore was repping 405x20 on deads a while back. Nothing else really gets me sore. Sucks....I miss the DOMS days. I used to get them by all means. Maybe I need to push myself more ;) Im too big a wuss!

Tonight I went in for a 'light' leg workout. Will have to leave here and go back to my other gym which just does not fire me up at all.

I started squatting and felt good. I figured before my strength takes a big hit from cutting, I might as well squat heavy. I put 555 on (a new PR) and it came up way too easy. I knew as soon as I lifted off it was going right up. Tough angle and my striped shots never make it look like I am hitting depth, but I am pretty sure I am just parallel. (I need to keep working on hip mobility as I would truly like to hit deeper just to smash them! ;) ) We cant all be FLEXY though :D

Brought my stance even in a little closer as I am noticing it does not hurt my hip at all to be that narrow. (not sure what it does for strength...but the big thing is to lift without any pain).

So here is 555 and me being a puss for not decided to jump to 565!555 squat (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p63WlGwXlwA#)

Strong squat ID, that is a narrow stance but you're correct, whatever works without pain. That's long Wallk out though, i hate my few steps back.

Yea...my walk-out is terrible. I have to clear the squat stands though. I need to try to put them far enough apart that I can just take a small step back and my feet, while still inside the racks are clear to go wide enough. (I put them close together so I can re-rack easier without pinching my hands.

Will have to leave here and go back to my other gym which just does not fire me up at all.

why? Just make the time for the drive.

Nice squat.

Thanks

Wont work. I now workout while my daughter is at dance. So I drive her 30 min to dance and then there is a gym a few minutes from her studio. It works otherwise one of us would just be sitting there the whole time. (he long day is from 430-730) I do this three times a week and have made my workouts work with it. My wife stays at home and takes care of dinner...etc while we are gone, feeds my son and has dinner ready for us when we get home.

It is not 'ideal' for me, but it works the best all around for the family. I usually get to go there on friday (or a weekend if I chose to...but I dont like going to the gym on weekends). My wife is happy because she really does not like the driving. (heavy city work traffic). It also makes my workouts less intrusive into family life. Long story short....it just works.

Wont work. I now workout while my daughter is at dance. So I drive her 30 min to dance and then there is a gym a few minutes from her studio. It works otherwise one of us would just be sitting there the whole time. (he long day is from 430-730) I do this three times a week and have made my workouts work with it. My wife stays at home and takes care of dinner...etc while we are gone, feeds my son and has dinner ready for us when we get home.

It is not 'ideal' for me, but it works the best all around for the family. I usually get to go there on friday (or a weekend if I chose to...but I dont like going to the gym on weekends). My wife is happy because she really does not like the driving. (heavy city work traffic). It also makes my workouts less intrusive into family life. Long story short....it just works.

How long are your w/o's? Can't you just do some filler stuff at the gym near your Daughter's dance and hit the hardcore place 2-3 other times?

I always abhorred weekend w/o's but I've grown to like them, no pressure to be there on a schedule, no pressure to leave to meet a schedule. That hardcore gym has been a real positive thing for you and I hate to see you give it up, and yes I understand family and family/kid schedules quite well.

How long are your w/o's? Can't you just do some filler stuff at the gym near your Daughter's dance and hit the hardcore place 2-3 other times?

I always abhorred weekend w/o's but I've grown to like them, no pressure to be there on a schedule, no pressure to leave to meet a schedule. That hardcore gym has been a real positive thing for you and I hate to see you give it up, and yes I understand family and family/kid schedules quite well.

My workouts (when I can dictate them) run 1-1.5 hrs.

The reason what you are suggesting would not work is I take her to dance 3nights a week. MTW. That only leave TF for the other gym (unless I wanted a weekend workout).

With my daughters schedule I have to adjust my workout duration.Mon I have 1.5 hrs which works good for back/bis rear shoulder calvesTues I only have an hour. Perfect for legsWed I have a marathon of 2:45min! (Chest, tris, front delts, shoulder rehab, calves....and even started 30 min cardio)

Thurs I take off

Friday I hit my old gym. I am recovered for deads if I want to hit them heavy. If I want to work legs at my old gym (eg squat), I can start just doing deads only on tues which I can do in an hour.

Again....not ideal...but it works. The weekend thing would be good, but I just dont feel right doing it. Makes me feel kinda selfish.When summer hits, I will again be able to go back to my favorite place regularly.

Yea...my walk-out is terrible. I have to clear the squat stands though. I need to try to put them far enough apart that I can just take a small step back and my feet, while still inside the racks are clear to go wide enough. (I put them close together so I can re-rack easier without pinching my hands.

[/quote]

Ahhh, i see what you did now. I didn't realize your hands were outside the stands.

Looking at the squat again, even I thought it looked high. But I think it looks a lot worse than it is. I need to stop wearing those shorts on squat days.

here is a cap with an arrow where my crease is. Might be a touch high but also hard to tell from that angle. Regardless, I need to focus on just "burying" them as far as I can....which for me is right at parallel :D

Na....I can take it. No big deal. I know I will never be an ATG squatter. It has taken me a lot to get to where I am now. I do know that I should have been able to drop deeper down, but I dont have much more ROM than a parallel squat.(ever) As clear as I thought I from hip pain, it was there again tonight which bummed me out. I did my last few sets even narrower stance. Pain went away and I was happy.

Truthfully, the weight felt pretty light but in the back of my head, I was thinking about my hip. I will approach it with more confidence next time. I know if I can ever work my squat better, I should be able to hit more weight for proper depth.

Posted this vid in my journal but figured I wiuld throw it here too, this is my mini me busting out 95lb box squats like a champ, she started with the bar and worked up to these, I honestly think she had a lot left in her, already told her next week she is going up to 105, looking to have her doing regular ATG squats in a few weekshttp://youtu.be/_6IPr_ZzLqg (http://youtu.be/_6IPr_ZzLqg)

Posted this vid in my journal but figured I wiuld throw it here too, this is my mini me busting out 95lb box squats like a champ, she started with the bar and worked up to these, I honestly think she had a lot left in her, already told her next week she is going up to 105, looking to have her doing regular ATG squats in a few weeks[url]http://youtu.be/_6IPr_ZzLqg[/url] ([url]http://youtu.be/_6IPr_ZzLqg[/url])

All yar vids are private, brah. :S

I checked out your attached vid though. Looks like a little forward lean like you said up top. Fix that and you got more weight to add in there. Good job!

Nice vids Deerslayer. Is your daughter motivated? I'd get her going at least parallel before upping the weights.

She is right now..... And she is ready for full blown squats yet, we are going to work on the box squats for now upping the weight a little each session, once she is capable of doing the box's well enough we are going to strip the bar and start from the bottom and work our way up with ATG squats, we tried them at the end and she just didn't have it in her for a full squat under the bag weight...... It will happen soon though

I know its a touch and go set but it felt real good tonight, had some more left in the tank for a couple more reps but I don't want to rush thingshttp://youtu.be/HdsLo_uVyuo (http://youtu.be/HdsLo_uVyuo)

Thanks again guys, like I said before I'm feeling reall good lately, when I put 225 on it and burned through the set I told my wife wow that felt light, the 315 went up pretty easy but like I said I'm not pushing it, I wanna take my time as to not burn out like in the past

I'll echo the previous posts about forward lean, but by far the best vid I've seen from you. But maybe try something else before dropping the weights. Do it again, same weight, same setup, only use the cue "chest out" when you start the movement. It'll bring your shoulders back and change the center of gravity a little bit where you'll be in a better position to keep a neutral spine.

This is a fine example of how vidding a lift once the basics are down can identify small tweaks to keep from getting injured.

Again, best vid to date. Think about removing the box and playing with foot position as well.

Thank you guys, I noticed the lean myself, but wasn't sure how to really correct it. The plates I needed were being used and I didn't feel like waiting for them, so I used the 45 instead.

I'll take moar videos.

E: also, am I going low enough?

It looks like you are, but to really tell, have your videographer shoot a full side shot down at the box level.

Hard to tell depth from the vid. Looks close though. Much better than the last bunch of vids I remember seeing.

As far as the lean, it looks to me like you are squatting high bar but using low bar form. Low bar the ass goes back more and the lower legs stay more upright while high bar the knees go out over the toes and the back is more upright. You are getting the weight over your toes. If you look at the inside collars of the bar and the rack uprights while you are standing, they should be the same distance when you are at the bottom. Straight down, straight up with the bar over mid foot. Never over the toes. Ask your videographer to get a shot from the side looking right down the bar and you'll see it better.

Can someone basically explain high vs. low bar for me? The way I hold the bar right now is the most comfortable, any other way and there's an uncomfortable sharp feeling where the bar rests.

Didnt you say once that you own the Starting Strength book? It has a very detailed description of both lifts. You come across as pretty intelligent if somewhat stubborn. Do yourself a favor and read that section.

Btw those squats you did in the vid were your best so far. So keep at it. The biggest thing that will help you perfect your squat is time under the bar so keep at it.

You're right, thank you.

The best thing I did was start over dropping the weight and concentrating on depth and form, with my back issues it has helped tremendously, I am finally getting back to a respectable weight, my last video I jumped up the weight too fast and got way too much lean, knew it when I did it and admitted it when I posted the video. This week I wont go that heavy and will go back to a much smaller weight increase. Biggest thing I have learned is don't worry about what's "ON" the bar, worry about what's "UNDER" the bar, the weight is all relative and will come in time!

Hey Cali, this is a prime example of me not taking my own advice, had a horrible squat day but was able to get 225 and 255 for single with what I fel was adequate depth, made a stupid decision and tried 275, form went to shit, no depth And too much lean. I can admit when I fuck up and last night I did, gonna take some vids of my lighter squats next week when I reset and work with the squat master to get it right. So don't so what I did!

Last night there were 2 guys squatting at my gym, with like 300lbs on the bar. It looked impressive until they actually tried to do it. Their depth was halfway to parallel, and they were leaning like the Tower of Pisa. A lot of the people who talk to me at the gym tell me not to do box squats because I don't need to go that low. I just bertstare them.

Last night there were 2 guys squatting at my gym, with like 300lbs on the bar. It looked impressive until they actually tried to do it. Their depth was halfway to parallel, and they were leaning like the Tower of Pisa. A lot of the people who talk to me at the gym tell me not to do box squats because I don't need to go that low. I just bertstare them.

Wow! Both were smooth as hell K. 315 is right there. Also, is that your home gym?

Thanks, I hope so! Nah, I'm still gathering equipment for my home gym and stashing it in corners like some sort of deranged squirrel. Hoping to get my space cleared out so I can set it up this spring though! The vid was in the basement of my old school gym. There's a little core group of retired powerlifters there, they built the deadlift platform and contributed some other things like the cage with the mono arm and a nice selection of 100 lb plates. I am grateful 8)

Last vid for a little while, pulled 335 last night, form suffered some but not horrible, gonna stick with 315 for another two weeks to up the reps a little then move back to 335 see how it feels......http://youtu.be/-amUfLng4mw (http://youtu.be/-amUfLng4mw)

Goddam I suck at sumo deadlifts, my chiro has banned me from box squats and conventional pulling because they're a deathtrap for my back but I'd forgotten how technical sumo is compared to grip and rip :S

Been Cutting since Jan 5th. @3,000 calories per day. Haven't lost a pound (or gained one) but my lifts are increasing dramatically......that's a successful cut in my book!! ;)

Here's a little vid from today330x5I did some work above this, 335x3 and 350x1, but that was all PR work and I opted for a spotter for safety over recording it....full workouts in my journal.(I'm also sporting my new Ironville shirt...I got 99 problems, but a bench ain't one. Figured it was fitting for today. ;D)

2/16 330*5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IREYugeBMc#ws)

{EDIT} Sorry bout that I went to respond and edited your post by accident ;). Fixed and replied! ID

So, I'm trying to get back on the deadlift horse. I took a considerable amount of time off from doing deadlift on a regular basis. I'd like to get back to my all time max of 605 and surpass that with something like 625. Obviously, I'll take 610 if that's all I can muster. I'm not sure what the deal is, but whenever I approach 600, I start tapering off like crazy. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Here's my 570# attempt from this morning. I'd like to increase 5# every week or two.

Bonus footage below is my wife hitting a PR of 240#. She was excited!!!

Haha, If I did the happy dance like her, I'd likely blackout. It always takes me a good 15 seconds to fully recover from a ME deadlift single.

Thanks for the props. I'm sure everyone knows how dissatisfying it is to reset a lift and climb back up to PR territory. Good news is that I only lost about 5-6% of my deadlift strength on my hiatus from the lift.

I gave deads a break in mid oct. Since then I have deadlifted 3 times (one of them tonight). So in 4 1/2 months, I have done them 3 times. I would consider that a break ;)

Since the scale dipped below 200lbs, my ego has been suffering. I figured it would do me good to deadlift and know I am not a totally pu$$y yet. ;) Shit I feel skinny as fuk and the mental part has been very hard lately.

I was pleased with my lift. Not bad on no food and down almost 30lbs since Jan 1 (an no AAS besides normal HRT). I think I had another rep, maybe 2 in me. But I never 'grind' deads. And since I have not done them in a while, I did not want to push anything. Also posted in the STFU thread as I am happy to have something to finally post!

Matt - Looking a lot better. In the first squat vid I thought you looked a little high but in the second you were spot on. :thumbsup:

As for bench, it appears, at least to me, that you are sort of bouncing off your chest at the bottom. You don't want to do this. Lower the bar at a steady controlled pace until you just touch the chest then back up. This can be a dangerous habit once you get to really heavy weights.

One of the guys who helped me at my gym told me that I should be preparing for the push motion in bench right before the bar reaches bottom. Sort of preloading my muscles. It's hard for me to try to do but he's a strong mofo so I think he knows what he's talking about.

I really appreciate all of you looking out for me. Words can't describe how grateful I am for everyone in this community. I had a moment of self-realization, now I'm noticing that I can do things that previously seemed impossible or very intimidating.

Bench: I was too eager on the bench, and I see it bouncing a little bit. I was just trying to emphasize the chest-touching for the video. I totally overlooked the arch, I could definitely arch more. My focus was on keeping my shoulders pinned back, and I forgot to arch more.

Squat: my right knee is messed up, so you can possibly see some imbalance in my right side. It makes me absolutely miserable! I should have warmed up before my working sets, since that helps me with some depth, but the rack was busy and I had to rush.

I went back and watched the first squat video again. It looks like your right knee was kind of popping out before you started your descent. Hard to be sure though. Make sure to warm up and loosen the legs beforehand. Even doing a couple sets of bar only or bodyweight squats in the rack if you have to hurry to catch an open rack.

Overall, great improvement. Glad to see you taking the advice of all the knowledgable folks here and putting it to good use.

The guy's form in that leg drive video looks so weird! Reminds me of this girl:13 year old girl Benches 240lb RAW (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxAc97K2I5M#ws)Is it totally safe to have your back arched more than a little bit? It seems like all the barbell lifts want your back to be straight, except bench.

it's safe. You back doesn't support weight in the bench press. The most solid platform you can provide to push against is your upper back, the shoulder blade area. Tuck them in real tight and roll back on to the area. This should give you the right arch.

it's safe. You back doesn't support weight in the bench press. The most solid platform you can provide to push against is your upper back, the shoulder blade area. Tuck them in real tight and roll back on to the area. This should give you the right arch.

little OHP PR- I don't work these much, but have come back to them within the last few weeks and am happy with my progress. I failed my 225 attempt last week...made it my bitch this week!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG5XODWX6Xs#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG5XODWX6Xs#ws)

I haven't been able to post in here for a while since I've been in a stall. I started making some progress with bench press over the last few weeks though. This tied my 5 rep PR for bench press, but this time it was much much easier. The last time rep 5 was a grinder. This time, I may have had another rep in me. Next week I'll add weight and hopefully hit a true 5-rep PR.

cmoore, actually really impressed by the creative ways you're training for AN with the stuff you've got on hand. But first video makes me want to see all the other competitors try to tackle the course with 100 extra pounds strapped on them. ;D

Cmoore isn't human and after watching all these vids...I've come to the conclusion that I do in fact lift like a girl. :o

Nothing crazy but I got a few...

https://youtu.be/knmeBz8EQeY

The lat pulldowns are a big deal for me. I haven't been able to do normal lat pulldowns since my shoulder injury a few years back. I still have difficulty with normal pullups but I do throw them in on occasion just to feel a few reps.

-Lock your elbows. Bending them will lead to injury.-http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/get-a-grip-3-ways-to-grip-a-deadlift-and-how-to-get-your-grip-stronger (http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/get-a-grip-3-ways-to-grip-a-deadlift-and-how-to-get-your-grip-stronger)

Good stuff, Cali. If you are not planning on competing in powerlifting, there's no problem with using straps and going DOH. Just use them for the sets you need them though. Hook grip can take a bit of time to get used to or a high pain threshold.

Hook grip is tough. ....especially when your bar is thick. Prior to visiting a PL gym I never understood how people could do a hook grip unless they had huge hands. Then I found out DL bars are thinner than regular bars.

Although I do enjoy watching strongman competitions, I never considered entering (being 'only' 6 foot and under 230# would make me a lightweight in NAS). Your stepping up sparked an interest. I looked up 2 meets near me, one being a good 3 months out, started looking at the weights. Yeah, put 600# on my back and see how far I can go in 90 seconds. Or a 280# stone over 60" .... for reps. I'd be lucky to do it once. 100# circus DB overhead with a 3 inch grip, a 2" grip is already a challenge, can only imagine a 3" grip.

Much respect for playing with the big boys, I'll just be over here with the pink dumbbells.

My bench sucks balls for various reasons, and hadn't gotten over 135 for about two years until last Nov when I got 145 at a meet. Today was last bench singles day before Apr 18th meet and hit 155 with more in me. :D

Nice. Try to tuck in your shoulders and get a super tight set up. All I see is you concentrating in the arch but not in to keep your body tight. Is that Aggressive gym? I know your spotter...(metalmilitia over here)

My bench sucks balls for various reasons, and hadn't gotten over 135 for about two years until last Nov when I got 145 at a meet. Today was last bench singles day before Apr 18th meet and hit 155 with more in me. :D

You have a great set-up and hell of an arch. Nice technical form. Looks like you are close to max hand spacing. At 5'2 if that is correct, that must feel very wide for you (although it obviously greatly shortens your ROM). My question is, how does that feel for you to go that wide? I know personally I could never even attempt close to width like that but I have underlying shoulder issues. Your shoulders must be in real good shape.

Actually, I put the power ring between my index finger and middle finger. Feel good and not pressure in shoulders at all. I think the problem is more mental than physical going wider. IMO! For example, trying to change settings on the meet just because someone told you to do it. Changing your form during meet after a 12 plus week cycle. You never try and want to break a record with new technique. It does works different muscles and you may feel weaker in the beginning. The idea is to train as you fight and fight as you train.

You have a great set-up and hell of an arch. Nice technical form. Looks like you are close to max hand spacing. At 5'2 if that is correct, that must feel very wide for you (although it obviously greatly shortens your ROM). My question is, how does that feel for you to go that wide? I know personally I could never even attempt close to width like that but I have underlying shoulder issues. Your shoulders must be in real good shape.

Nice. Try to tuck in your shoulders and get a super tight set up. All I see is you concentrating in the arch but not in to keep your body tight. Is that Aggressive gym? I know your spotter...(metalmilitia over here)

Most of the setup just prior to unracking is to get shoulder/upper back tucked/tight, but I did start setup a hair below the bar than I like to that time. Always working on form so will try to address it more. And yes, at Aggressive. ;D Thanks and great bench!!

Not the best, but kind of what I was expecting...Have not really squatted in over a month. I was feeling good so I went up to 495. You can see the effect lower carbs has on me. (which I was not quite ready for) The first two reps are easy and it looks like I should get 5 easy. Right out of the hole on my 3rd, my body just did not want to contract the muscles. I went from what felt like 100 to 50% output. I had to get right in the head and suck it up and finish my set. Funny how quick I went south.

I dont EVER do that. In fact, that is the closest I have ever come in my life to ditching a squat set.

ID - Your posts and thoughts about your lifts just show how much lifting is a personal competition. You are "complaining" for lack of a better word about not getting your 5 reps at 495 when most of us here wish we could ever approach 1 rep at that number.

Thanks for posting and helping all us relative newbs understand that its about where we are at currently that matters and that even the big lifters are fighting.

Sweet squats, especially depleted! I will often cut hard low carb (50 g or less/day), but usually put in two refeeds a week with higher carbs (300+) the night before my more important lifts like heavy squats.

ID - Your posts and thoughts about your lifts just show how much lifting is a personal competition. You are "complaining" for lack of a better word about not getting your 5 reps at 495 when most of us here wish we could ever approach 1 rep at that number.

Thanks for posting and helping all us relative newbs understand that its about where we are at currently that matters and that even the big lifters are fighting.

Good shit man.

I have never know any truly competitive people that are 'satisfied' with anything. There is always an improvement. I see these threads from time to time about wanting to bench "xxx" or something. I have never been like that. To me the goals are small an incremental. They are day by day. While it is nice to have some lofty goal....the ones that are "real" are the ones you can reach, dig down deep and hit your next workout. You do that enough times, and pretty soon you find you have reached a different level altogether (with very small steps at a time).

It is those daily struggles....workout to workout that make the true differences. (at least that is what works for me)

I appreciate the support and kind words sincerely. I have found there is a true commonality among 'competitors' regardless of their totals....or if they formally compete. Those that seem most successful are always just competing against themselves from yesterday.

totally hear you on the suddenly going empty during a set, its weird how it happens

this is why I'm on 100g carbs ED and just dropped total cals, I cant go under 100 or my workouts just stop being enjoyable and that's half the motivation gone

I have always found that I am very sensitive to carbs (or lack of). I am not running keto, and always get at least 100g. But anything under 200 for me might as well be keto ;)

Overall, if I take my emotion out of it, on the outside I should be pretty pleased. I am getting close to 190 right now, and to at least be holding on to strength in a reasonable fashion is a good thing.

On thing I am realizing though....is I am going to have to alter my training. It does not seem effective anymore as I just lack the ability to push hard. I have always been low(er) volume and mostly 1 part per week. Recently I have found the need to hit higher volume, (more sets lighter weights, lower rest between sets) to get any sort of stimulation. I am not sure my 4 workouts/ week is optimal either. I can see why someone might go to a 5 day or 3on / 3 off rotation.

In the end, this is one big experiment. I dont want to workout 5-6 days a week. If that is what it takes to stay lean and keep strength levels up, I dont think I want that commitment. The gym has found a nice little niche in my life right now where I dont feel dominated by it. It all fits in without being too obtrusive. I dont want it to define me. (just my personal thoughts).

I have a feeling once I shed down, I will find a happy medium where I can stay lean(er) but still go back to being full muscle bellied....and able to push harder in the gym. I have seen the change in time with my thigh skinfolds (where they stay lean now even as I eat surplus). I am going to hope my midsection will do the same. VAT comes on so much quicker and is easy to drop and gain. I am hoping that will be the buffer.

First day with the Pendlay Do-wins, felt great, nice and stable. It sure is nicer than messing with the little platform board.

Triple at 475, sleeves and belt. I'm running the 531 and I based it on my Raw max rather than wrapped maxed. I'm also working on my bar grip and going "thumbless" so I can straighten my wrists out. You can see in my other vids my wrists bend completely backwards. I haven't had any wrist issues, but I think the bar is held stronger on your back with straight wrists.

475x3 new pendlay do wins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6ejfZMrsHQ#ws)

It's easy to tell that you had considerably more in you. Look at your grip on your right hand. You were holding it with just your fingers. Squeeze that bar tighter and lock in your grip. You'll be pulling 3 plates in no time.

Now, to keep up with CMoore and his comic intermission, last night was the first Friday in 2+ years that I was in the gym. Had to throw in a little bit of fun time.

It's easy to tell that you had considerably more in you. Look at your grip on your right hand. You were holding it with just your fingers. Squeeze that bar tighter and lock in your grip. You'll be pulling 3 plates in no time.

Now, to keep up with CMoore and his comic intermission, last night was the first Friday in 2+ years that I was in the gym. Had to throw in a little bit of fun time.

Nothing overly impressive, few hundred under my max, was just focusing on depth, since I started leg press I've gotten much more flexible over the last few months and it's not irritating my lower back at all. I had plenty left in the tank, but one of those sneaky bastard barking spiders ran by on my 4th rep and I figured I better not push my luck :o ;)turn your volume down....all the way down Leg press depth work 900x4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD6Cvdgb-Bs#ws)

Nothing overly impressive, few hundred under my max, was just focusing on depth, since I started leg press I've gotten much more flexible over the last few months and it's not irritating my lower back at all. I had plenty left in the tank, but one of those sneaky bastard barking spiders ran by on my 4th rep and I figured I better not push my luck :o ;)turn your volume down....all the way down Leg press depth work 900x4 ([url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD6Cvdgb-Bs#ws[/url])

Nothing overly impressive, few hundred under my max, was just focusing on depth, since I started leg press I've gotten much more flexible over the last few months and it's not irritating my lower back at all. I had plenty left in the tank, but one of those sneaky bastard barking spiders ran by on my 4th rep and I figured I better not push my luck :o ;)turn your volume down....all the way down

I better not have been the only person to watch that video waiting to see some weird spider running by.

Surprised myself with best PL meet yet, went 9/9 for the first time! Also am officially on record for the first time with a 225 squat, 135 bench and 315 deadlift, and all in the same meet. ;D Final numbers were 225/145/320. Very proud of myself for fighting through the 145 bench (no vid unfortunately but a long grinder) and the 320 deadlift (slooow off the ground but stayed with it). I've been feeling like I gave up too easily on tough lifts at previous meets, so was determined to keep fighting until I got the lift, passed out, or they took the bar away. 8)

Surprised myself with best PL meet yet, went 9/9 for the first time! Also am officially on record for the first time with a 225 squat, 135 bench and 315 deadlift, and all in the same meet. ;D Final numbers were 225/145/320. Very proud of myself for fighting through the 145 bench (no vid unfortunately but a long grinder) and the 320 deadlift (slooow off the ground but stayed with it). I've been feeling like I gave up too easily on tough lifts at previous meets, so was determined to keep fighting until I got the lift, passed out, or they took the bar away. 8)

Don't forget the lifter who celebrated a squat PR with a bubble bath and wine!

Wait which of the ladies was that?

:biggrinjester:

Not me, I would have drowned ;D Came home, sat down, ate a ton and passed out 8)

Very grateful all parts of my body reported for duty that day. Did do that thing where I arrived feeling like I'd been hit by a small truck, and left feeling like I'd been hit by a second, larger truck... but that's just part of the fun, ain't it? 8)

Surprised myself with best PL meet yet, went 9/9 for the first time! Also am officially on record for the first time with a 225 squat, 135 bench and 315 deadlift, and all in the same meet. ;D Final numbers were 225/145/320. Very proud of myself for fighting through the 145 bench (no vid unfortunately but a long grinder) and the 320 deadlift (slooow off the ground but stayed with it). I've been feeling like I gave up too easily on tough lifts at previous meets, so was determined to keep fighting until I got the lift, passed out, or they took the bar away. 8)

Strong Cmoore very close. Impressive strength to weight at that level of leaness.

This vid was last week but matched it today after some work sets, still my max from 35 lbs ago missed it a few times a few months ago, really hoping for 500 by the end of the year (provided I'm done dieting)http://youtu.be/7bUOqqYKZTg (http://youtu.be/7bUOqqYKZTg)

Surprised myself with best PL meet yet, went 9/9 for the first time! Also am officially on record for the first time with a 225 squat, 135 bench and 315 deadlift, and all in the same meet. ;D Final numbers were 225/145/320. Very proud of myself for fighting through the 145 bench (no vid unfortunately but a long grinder) and the 320 deadlift (slooow off the ground but stayed with it). I've been feeling like I gave up too easily on tough lifts at previous meets, so was determined to keep fighting until I got the lift, passed out, or they took the bar away. 8)

Strong Cmoore very close. Impressive strength to weight at that level of leaness.

(provided I'm done dieting)

Your lifts look good!

Thanks. I should have had it but my grip which is usually bulletproof faltered slightly and it broke my focus. :( Might run at it again in 3 days if it feels right. Deads aren't really a priority beyond that I think they help my jumps.

Thanks everyone, it means a lot. I haven't felt this good since I got a 405 Deadlift (in that same gym) years and years ago. I feel like this is my strongest lift to date. Nowhere near 3 green lights but it sure felt good to lock that out!

Haven't been logging lately, but still hitting it good. Decided to max out on deads, worked up triples from 135, 185, 225, 245, 265, 315, 335, got a double at 355, and wanted to push the envelope with 375#, broke off the floor but couldn't get it. Thought I'd share, for even being a failure, it's one that I'm pretty damn proud of.